Love, Jacob
by caitimaybe
Summary: Devastated over the loss of Bella, Jacob believes he will never love again. What Jacob forgot about was the power of imprinting... Hey, Jacob needs a happy ending, too. :COMPLETE:
1. The End of Everything

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything**

**This is my first fanfiction (although not my first piece of writing, so hopefully it won't completely bomb.) Ratings would be lovely :) **

**Anyway, this portion is written from Jacob Black's point of view, and picks up at the almost immediate end of Eclipse. **

**Enjoy!**

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Bella. Bella. Bella.

Her name echoed in my mind, over and over like a broken record. Even when I tried to block it out, my footsteps screamed the word. Bella, I want you. Bella, I need you. Bella, I love you.

Bella.

But when I tried to repress her name, the _pain _was overwhelming. In the short months we had been together, she had been my life. She still was my life... My soul mate, my love. On top the staggering loss of losing her was losing the life we should have had together. And, as if any more was needed, soon she would be one of _them. _Soon, she would be the very thing that forced this curse on me and my family, the bane of my existence. This knowledge, this loss had a more demolishing effect on me than I would have thought possible. Every step sent violent, aching tremors through my bones; every breath filled my lungs with water. I ran hard, fighting to escape.

More than once, I stopped my aimless bounding to curl up in a ball and, whining miserably like the coward I was, let the pain overtake me. Eventually I would stagger to my feet and continue. Running, I could handle it. In the form of the wolf, it was easier to pretend 'Bella' was simply a sound that meant nothing to me, had no meaning. My failure at this was almost embarrassing, but it was better than nothing.

As I was running, time and distance were immeasurable. Scenery changed and I paid it little attention. I steered clear of any sort of civilization; human contact was something I couldn't handle at the moment. I focused on running, on the exhilarating speed, of the drumming sound of my paws on dirt.

Instead of thinking of Bella – or trying not to think of her, which was almost as bad – I pushed myself to think of other things.

I knew I would have to go back eventually. At first, I had no intention of going home, but I couldn't deny it. My father needed me, the pack needed me. I had a life at La Push, ties that were not so easily broken. And, after all, was I such a coward that I would allow Bella – I cringed at thinking her name – and the bloodsucker push me from my home?

I hoped not.

I knew it wouldn't be long before the voices in my head started up again. Sam couldn't keep the boys from shifting forever. Could I admit to them how much pain I had allowed Bella and her leech to cause me?

Bella…

Eventually, all my thoughts turned back to her. Nothing could keep the torment at bay for long. I realized that I now understood how Bella had felt when her leech abandoned her… How ironic.

My thoughts became incoherent as I continued, running until I was shaking with exhaustion. I occasionally slipped into a blissful unawareness and, for short time, was able to forget everything. But then I would be startled back to reality and the devastation I felt was crippling.

Time passed with this strange routine. Days came and went with blurred speed and I continued my senseless journey to nowhere. I was utterly alone, and at times I was almost able to forget Jacob Black. I wanted nothing but isolation and silence.

But eventually, another awareness melted in with mine. Someone from the pack had taken the wolf form, like me; I could tell it was Sam. Without having to communicate, I saw that he was outside La Push. He was concerned about me, as were my family and friends back at the reservation.

_Come home, Jacob, _Sam whispered gently in my head.

A growl escaped my throat. The silence was ruined. I ran harder, faster, giving a last effort escape. Returning to La Push was last thing I wanted to do.

Despite myself, I recognized that running away would do me no good. The ceaseless aching… That was something that would travel with me, no matter how far I ran. I couldn't escape, and continuing on this way… Well, there was no hope of getting over Bella out here, where she was the only thing on my mind. I wrestled with myself internally, loathe to give up the freedom, the feeling that I could somehow get away.

_I'm coming, _I told him reluctantly.

I gave the equivalent of a sigh. I would never really be ready to return; now was as good a time as any. Sam's presence in my mind faded.

With a heavy heart, I turned started running in the opposite direction of which I had come. Home again.


	2. Home

**Hmm. This story may take a few chapters to really get going, but it's getting there real soon, I promise :) **

**Still from Jake's POV.

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I realized how very far I had come when I was returning. I tried to recall my journey and determine how long I had been away, but my complete loss of time during my travel made it impossible.

It took me at least two weeks to return home. My brother's voices sometimes intruded my thoughts, and then disappeared quickly. It was annoying and comforting to hear them, after such isolation.

I was running when I realized I was in the forest surrounding La Push. That was rather abrupt, I thought.

_There you are. Finally. _Embry Call's anxious voice was in my head. My best friend.

_You want to bring me some clothes? _I thought to him.

_Sure thing. _

I paced, waiting for Embry's return. I felt embarrassed for running away, now, and at the same time I felt the urge to run again.

_Hey there. _

I swung my head to the right and Embry was standing there, in his hulking wolf form. Bound to his ankle were clothes. With his teeth, he pulled loose the knot and nudged the clothes towards me.

_Thank you, _I thought.

_Jacob?_

_Yeah?_

_I'm glad you're back. _I felt his hesitation._ We'll make it through this, man. _His gold eyes were solemn. _See you. _Embry disappeared silently into the woods.

It was harder to shift back to human form, after having gone without it for so long. When I managed to, I quickly dressed, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. I looked down at myself, mildly surprised that I still looked the same. I felt that there should be some monumental change, but I couldn't find one. Returning to normal life would almost be a mockery of the change I felt in me.

I walked slowly to La Push. More quickly than I would have liked, I found the winding road, and houses started appearing.

Instead of returning immediately home, I walked along the shore, watching the grey waves roll in and break against the sand. The sky overhead was angry and heavily overcast. I sank to the sand, trying to decide what the best plan of action would be.

Maybe, if I put my best effort into returning to my old life, before Bella… I felt like a traitor even thinking of it, but who was I betraying? Not _her_; she had already more or less given up on me. Now, I was only betraying myself.

I decided that it was best to throw myself into recovery, to not let my desolation affect those around me. Victoria might be dead, but it looked like the Cullens might be about to break the treaty… I shuddered and groaned. Well, if that _did _happen, the pack would need all its strength.

Too soon, I was back on my doorstep. The house looked as it always had. I was raising my fist to knock when the door swung open.

"Jacob!" Seth Clearwater greeted me, a huge grin stretched across his face. "You came back!"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Hey."  
Emily appeared behind him, arms crossed. She looked angry and relieved and happy.

"Jacob Black!" she exclaimed.

"Hi, Emily," I said. Despite myself, I smiled at her; I realized I had missed everyone.

"You had us all worried sick!"

"I'm --,"

"Well, get inside!" she demanded, pulling Seth out of the way. I stepped inside carefully. Emily still had her arms crossed, staring at me. Then she half-flung herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "We missed you, Jake."

"I know," I sighed, hugging her back. "I missed you all, too."

She stepped back, and her glare was back in place. "Well, go see your father. He's a mess. And you're probably hungry, right?"

I grimaced and nodded. She disappeared into the kitchen; Seth was already gone. I wandered through the house, looking for Billy. I found him sitting in the living room, watching a basketball game. His back was to me.

"Dad?"

He didn't respond, but I saw him stiffen. I crossed the room and stood in front of him. He had already carefully composed his face.

"Jacob."

"Hi, Dad," I sighed.

"You've been gone a long time." He stared at me impassively, and I tried to understand what he was thinking.

"I know."

"Do you feel any better?"

I grimaced. "Sure."

His resolve broke, and he smiled at me. "It's… It's good to have you back, Jacob."

I hoped my returning smile didn't look as fake as it felt. "It's good to see you again."

I was only now noticing my exhaustion and hunger. I went into my small bedroom, thinking that it would be nice to sleep in a bed for a change. The only thing I could think of when I saw my too-small bedroom was Bella and our sad farewell. I slammed the door in disgust and renewed sadness. I went into the kitchen and sat at the table, head in my hands.

It took me a minute to realize I wasn't the only one in the room. Emily, in the middle of making sandwiches, was staring at me with a strange expression on her scarred face. I knew I had many long weeks ahead of me.


	3. Better?

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm still not Stephenie Meyer :( **

**Alright. Second chapter written in the same night! (Hopefully, I'm still making sense..?) **

**Enjoy! (Review!) :

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I was right. Time passed agonizingly slow. I spent a lot of time at the beach, threw myself into working in the garage, and tried hard to act normal. Everything considered, I thought I was doing pretty well.

One afternoon, I returned from the beach to an empty house. On top of a pile of mail was a note from Billy.'Gone to the Clearwater's – back soon', it read in his dark scrawl. I shuffled uninterestedly through the paper, when something made me stop dead.

The wedding invitation. The goddamn wedding invitation. How had I forgotten?

In one hand, I clutched the paper; my other hand was balled into a fist, which I bit, willing myself to maintain control. Pure, unadulterated fury threatened to overwhelm me. I could feel myself shaking with rage; I saw red as the world vibrated madly.

Suddenly, strong hands clasped my upper arms and steered me out of the small house while I trembled violently. Once outside the house, I was released; I exploded into the form of a giant wolf. An angry growl ripped from my throat as I bared my teeth, ready to attack.

The adrenalin quickly drained and I was left staring at Sam. He looked back at me, unhappy.

"Your father isn't going to be too happy about this," he said, scanning the ground around me. I glanced down and realized I was surrounded by the scraps of the clothes I had been wearing. At least I hadn't been wearing shoes, I thought grimly.

"I'll get you something to wear," Sam said. He disappeared and returned quickly. Clothes in my mouth, I bounded towards the woods to return to human form and clothe myself. With that done, I walked back to the house, still fuming about the wedding.

Like the adrenalin, though, the anger quickly faded, to be replaced with the sadness that I thought I had been getting over. Inside the house, Sam was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for my return. I bent to pick up the wedding invitation I had dropped, avoiding his eyes. I smoothed it out on the counter.

"Is that what prompted this?" Sam asked quietly, looking at the invitation. I nodded, and he sighed. "Sit down, Jacob." I sat across from him. He folded his hands in front of me. "You put on a good show," he said. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks." My sarcasm was marred by my mumbling.

He sighed. "I wonder how long it will take you to get over this…" It sounded like he was speaking mostly to himself. "If ever."

"Yeah," I agreed. "If ever."

His expression softened. "Time heals all wounds, Jake." After a short pause, he asked, "Will you go?"

The wedding. Could I stand to see that? "Yes. I think I will."

I slept late the next day. I awoke and took a shower, and spent the afternoon in the garage. Around four, I heard Billy calling me. He couldn't come into the garage with his wheelchair, so I went into the house.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked.

"Fine," I answered.

"Sam's coming to pick me up," he said. "Bonfire tonight. Do you want to come?"

"Sure," I answered immediately, without thinking. I loved bonfires. After I gave myself a minute to think about it, I decided I really did want to go. I hadn't see a lot of the boys lately. I hadn't seen a lot of anyone. I frowned at that thought.

Billy must have thought I was making faces about the bonfire, because he raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, definitely," I responded. "When will Sam be here?"

"He --," Dad stopped, hearing the truck pull up the driveway. He smiled. "Let's go, kid."

I followed Billy outside and Sam and I helped him into the front seat of Sam's car. I loaded Billy's wheelchair into the back and climbed into the backseat.

"We'll go back to my place for a while and then head out to the site," Sam said for my benefit.

I surprised myself by being genuinely excited. Not bouncing out of my seat, but excited nonetheless. We arrived shortly at Sam's house; there were already a lot of cars parked outside. I recognized Embry's car, Jared's car, and Leah Clearwater's.

Inside, the house was bustling with activity. Emily, Leah and Kim were putting together food for the bonfire in the kitchen. I heard Jared, Quil, Embry and Paul before I saw them, but I determined that they were in the living room.

"Hey, man!" a grinning Quil greeted me when I joined them. "Glad you could make it!"

They all reached out to slap me high-fives. I sat on the small table in the middle of the room, because the couch and all the chairs were taken up by the massive bodies of my friends. We talked for a while, being generally loud and goofy. It was easy to get caught up in the boisterous atmosphere they created.

Emily came into the room, scowling at us, though her eyes showed amusement. "Jake, get your butt off my table," she said. Laughing, I stood. "Ready to go, boys? Everyone grab something off the kitchen table."


	4. Bonfire

**Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie. All the characters from her books are hers, not mine. **

**It should start getting good from here on out. I hope. **

**(By the way, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this. So, thanks!) **

**And enjoy : **

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I was surprised to see people already setting up at the bonfire site. It wasn't quite dark yet; the sun was still setting, casting vivid streaks of orange and red across the dimming sky. I sat down on one of the logs around the fire pit, watching people. Apart from the gang, I recognized some kids from the reservation.

Jared came and sat next to me; Kim followed, sitting on his other side. And then a girl I didn't know sat next to her.

This girl was beautiful, possibly the most beautiful person I had ever seen. The world sort of spun as we made quick eye contact. She dropped her gaze; I didn't.

She had pale skin and delicate features. Her intelligent, alert eyes were wide and gray, framed by long, dark lashes. Red-brown hair fell to her shoulders in full waves. Unconsciously, she bit her bottom lip. The girl had full, red lips... She was wearing a sweatshirt and faded jeans and I could have sworn she was a goddess. I soaked up every detail of her.

"Hi, Jacob," Kim said, bring me out of my trance.

"Hey," I replied almost breathlessly, disoriented for a moment. Jared was giving me a strange look.

"Jake, this is my friend, Anna. Anna, this is Jacob," Kim said.

She smiled at me, and my heart stopped beating. She was _looking _at me. Christ, what was going on? "Hi, Anna," I managed to choke out. I stood up quickly and walked away from them.

From a distance, I watched, taking deep breaths to clear my head. I saw Kim and Jared exchange looks. Anna. I had never thought about it before, but it was a beautiful name.

I returned to the log.

"You feeling okay, Jake?" Jared asked, raising an eyebrow. I ignored the mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Fine," I said.

"Emily!" I heard Quil complain. "Don't we get food soon?"

Jared chuckled. "Yeah, come on, Em!" he called out, just to be bothersome. "We're hungry!"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, unpacking the many bags of food we had brought. People were starting to set up chairs and orient themselves on logs; Sam and Embry were bringing in wood to start a fire. It would be a relatively small bonfire tonight.

I looked back at the girl. Anna. She was talking to Kim, smiling at something Kim said.

"We'll be right back," Kim said, taking Jared's hand and leading him over to Emily. Jared looked back at me, grinning.

I turned to Anna. She was staring at the fire.

"Hey," I said again, feeling more composed now.

She looked at me and smiled again. "Hi." She paused, hesitating. "You must be Jacob Black."

"Yeah," I sighed, imagining all the things she could have heard about me. "How'd you know?"

She laughed softly. It was an amazing, musical sound. "I've… Kim has mentioned you before." At my expression, she added, "Nothing bad, don't worry."

I wondered how true that was. For her benefit, I grimaced. "I hope not. So, you're friends with Kim?" Anna nodded. "But you're not from the reservation."

She glanced around her at all the reservation kids and smiled. "No, I live in Forks."

"Do you come here a lot?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. Mostly to go to Kim's house. Do you?" She flushed and made a face, embarrassed. "Stupid question, sorry. You live here."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "I do."

She nodded, biting her lip. "I knew that, of course."

Anna was saved from her discomfort by Seth, Jared and Kim coming over.

"We're going on a walk. Want to come?" Seth asked eagerly.

I glanced at Anna; she was smiling at Seth. "Sure," she said, standing. I stood, too, and was surprised by her height. Sitting down, we had seemed about the same size, but now I realized how small she was… Probably about 5'2" at best.

"You're really little," I said without thinking. My voice was... admiring.

Anna looked up at me. "You're really huge," she countered, but her expression told me she wasn't offended. She was smiling, and my responding smile was easy, natural.

"6'2"," I said proudly, puffing out my chest. She laughed.

I followed the small group through the larger crowd; we quickly collected people who were up for a walk down the beach.

"Jared?" I said quietly as we moved away from the bonfire site. He fell back with me. I looked at Anna, walking ahead of us with Kim and Seth. "Who is she?"

He chuckled. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Everything," I sighed.


	5. That's Disgusting

**This chapter is written from Anna's point of view. From here on in, I think the perspective may bounce from person to person. **

**Enjoy! Review!

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"So?" Kim said, giving me a sly smile as we walked down the beach. "What do you think of Jacob?"

I chewed my lip and carefully answered, "He seems nice." And funny and gorgeous… There was something about him that couldn't quite be put into words; I saw it when he smiled, and he just seemed _good. _

"He sure noticed you," Kim said.

"I thought you said he had a girlfriend."

Kim rolled her eyes. "No, I told you they broke up, remember? Her old boyfriend came back to town and she left Jacob." I nodded, remembering that brief conversation. "It's been a while, anyway, and it's about time _someone _caught Jake's eye."

Jared and Jacob caught up to us then. I wondered how much they had heard. "We should play Frisbee," Jared said.

Kim made a face. "We don't have one to play with."

"Not a problem," Jacob said, grinning. He bent down and picked up a large, flat shell off the beach, and held it up for inspection.

"That'll do," Jared said, matching Jacob's grin. He took it and, winding up, yelled, "Heads up, Seth!" The shell went flying over our heads as Jared released it. Seth looked up and, catching on, ran to try to grab it. The boy named Quil was quicker, though; he snatched it out of the air.

"Hey!" Seth pouted. Quil laughed and tossed it back.

Soon, there were at least seven of them running around, trying to catch the flying shell. Kim laughed softly, watching Jared with a soft expression. "They're such show-offs," she said, but her voice was affectionate.

"Ready, Anna?" Jacob said, barreling over. "Going up!"

"What? No, I --,"

He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me into the air like I weighed nothing. He was surprisingly gentle. Without even realizing what I was doing, I reached up to snag the shell as it whipped by. I heard Jacob's booming laughter.

"Nice!" he said, setting me down and smiling hugely.

"Was that _necessary?_" I gasped.

He looked down at me, his dark eyes anxious. "Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head. "I'm just afraid of heights."

"You consider that a height?" he laughed.

"You _are_ 6'2"," I reminded him.

He laughed, appraising my unimpressive height. "Sorry for scaring you," he said solemnly, but a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.

The group walked a little farther, never out of site from the bonfire site. Suddenly, Embry spun around to face it. "I smell food!" he sang, bolting back the site. A race ensued, leaving Kim and I to walk by ourselves again.

Kim shook her head. "They're crazy. They eat _so much._"

I watched them run. If I was being honest with myself, I watched Jacob run. He didn't look intense, like Embry and Paul; he looked more like he was just having fun. His stride was graceful, despite his enormous size.

"You know," she said, looking at me thoughtfully. "You should get to know Jacob. I think you'd both like that."

"That would be… nice," I said. What an understatement.

An hour later by the bonfire, everyone was sitting quietly, full from the hotdogs and potato chips Emily had packed. The fire was hot and bright, casting shadows on the faces of the people sitting around it. It was absolutely dark now, save the light from the fire.

"Do you like ghost stories?" Jacob asked, leaning forward and smiling. His eyes shone devilishly. He and Jared exchanged glances, and I stared back at them suspiciously.

Kim laughed softly. "Don't even try it, guys. Anna's tougher than that."

"Oh, really?" Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like a challenge to me."

He and Jared moved closer to me. I started to feel a little claustrophobic.

"Do you believe in ghosts, Anna?" Jacob asked in a low, intense voice. He stared into my eyes.

I thought about that. "Yes."

He smiled, flashing white teeth. "Good."

"You see, Anna…" Jared said, rubbing his palms together. His expression changed. "Don't look at _me. _Look at the fire." I saw Kim roll her eyes to me, shaking her head. I chuckled and did as Jared instructed. "That's better. Okay, so, once, a long time ago…"

"…there was a group of people," Jacob picked up for him. "They were ageless." His voice was still intense, slightly husky. "And they were pale, and they had cold, cold skin." A cool breeze blew across my neck, but I had a feeling it was just Jared. It gave me slight goosebumps anyway; despite the fire, it was cold. I stared at the fire as Jacob described these cold-skinned people, with blood-red eyes and fangs sharp enough to pierce skin. He told me in a low, quick voice about their speed, their strength, the ease with which they could kill someone. I watched the fire flicker and dance, and I felt myself actually getting chills. I couldn't tell if it was due to Jacob's story or his voice, and the fact that he was still staring at me, though.

It was quiet around the bonfire except for the sounds of Jake's voice and the fire crackling.

"And if they get their teeth on you…" Jacob was saying.

Suddenly, there was a loud yell behind me that was more like a roar. I screamed, startled, and _teeth_ clamped down on my throat. I screamed again, jumping to my feet.

Jacob, Jared and Embry were laughing, booming laughs that shattered the silence.

"What the hell was that?" I cried, grabbing my neck. "It _bit _me!"

"That was… Embry…" Jacob gasped, laughing.

"Embry _slobbered on me!_" I screamed, pulling my hand back and vigorously wiping my neck off with my sleeve.

That just started them laughing all over again.

Jacob sighed, the sound broken with hiccupping laughs. He wiped his eyes which were almost teary from laughing. "Sorry," he said, trying to look serious. "Did we scare you?"

"No," I said indignantly.

"Sure, sure." Jacob smiled at me, searching my face to make sure he was forgiven. I had to smile back.

Strangely, I didn't feel mad or embarrassed like I should have. I almost felt like laughing along. The only people here I really knew were Kim and Jared, but it was nice being with the La Push kids. They were friendly and easy to be around.

Embry, having composed himself, crouched by me and Jacob.

"That was disgusting," I told him.

He grinned. "You taste good."


	6. Definitely Better

"Anna…" I said, feeling nervous. It was late; the fire was burning low and people were starting to pack up. Kim had already fallen asleep and I could see him getting ready to wake her and bring the two girls home. Anna was sitting on the sand with her back against the log. She was staring at the fire sleepily and her eyelids were drooping.

She looked up at me and stifled a yawn. "Hi, Jake."

I slid off the log and sat next to her. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

"Yeah, it was lots of fun," she said, her words slightly slurred. We sat in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, she shook her head and sat up straighter. She looked a little more conscious.

"We should hang out sometime," she said decidedly.

"Yeah?" I smiled. I had been thinking the same thing. I wondered how much I could trust what she was saying now, though; she still looked like she was about to fall asleep.

She nodded. "Yeah. Do you have a pen or something?" I shook my head. "Well, that's okay. Get my number from Kim…" She yawned and gave me a drowsy smile. "I'll be waiting for your call." Her eyes slid shut.

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"Hey, Dad," I said, smiling at my father as I came into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

He eyed me suspiciously. "Good morning."

I felt better than I had in a long time. I had gotten almost no sleep the night before, but I felt great. For the first time in a while, I didn't have to force myself to laugh or smile. And Anna… She was amazing. I knew almost nothing about her, but I knew I really liked her. And I knew upstairs, I had her number scribbled on a piece of paper, and somewhere in me, I recognized that this was probably more than a simple crush.

"You're very… upbeat this morning," Billy commented carefully. "Did you have a good time at the bonfire last night?"

"Sure did," I answered honestly. I bounced around the house a while, full of energy but not sure what to do with myself. I ended up in the garage, trying to focus my exuberance into something productive.

There was only one thing on my mind, though, and I kept getting distracted. I had Anna's number already memorized, and I kept wondering how early was _too _early to call. Last night I had sheepishly asked Kim, and she said that I should wait a day, so as not to seem too eager.

After two hours of almost calling and then forcibly restraining myself, I resigned. I _was _too eager, and I couldn't Inside the house, I found the phone and dialed her number, my heart rate increasing with each ring. Butterflies threatened to break through the layers of my stomach. Calm down, I told myself. It's just a phone call.

"Hello?" a woman's voice answered; I figured it was Anna's mother.

"Hello," I responded. "This is Jacob Black – is Anna there?"

"Just a minute, please."

I waited, and then Anna was on the phone. "Jacob?"

It might have been my imagination, but she seemed as happy to hear me as I was her. She still liked the idea of hanging out, and we arranged that I would pick her up at her house tomorrow at noon, and we would come back to my house. Neither one of us had any brilliant ideas on what to do, but to me, it didn't matter what we did.

"Isn't there a rule about waiting a day before you call a girl, after getting her number?" Anna asked.

Uh-oh. "I don't know," I replied. "There might be."

"I think there is," she said. "I'm glad you didn't follow it."

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**A/N: **I regret that this chapter is relatively short and unexciting. I'm stuck with this one; it was giving me intense writer's block. My apologies.

Fortunately, there are more interesting chapters to come, I promise :


	7. Silly Seagulls

**A/N: **Anna's point of view. Enjoy, review!

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"Have you _always _been a giant?" I asked Jacob, looking up at him. We were walking along the beach; it wasn't raining, and therefore too nice a day to stay indoors. It had been about an hour since Jacob had picked me up.

Jake gave a short, humorless laugh. His expression was one I didn't understand. "No," he said. "It's just been in the past year or so." He smirked at me. "Have you always been a midget?"

"5'2" isn't that short," I told him. He laughed.

Jacob asked me about how I knew Kim; I asked about all the friends I had met at the bonfire. We discussed our friends, sharing stories. It was easy talking to Jacob. Enjoyable.

"I'm not really good at sports," I admitted to him when he asked. "I'm not very competitive. I used to play basketball, but the girls intimidated me."

"Did they all tower over you?" he chuckled.

"No," I retorted. "I was tallest in my class in third grade."

His laughter scared away the gulls walking around. It was a wonderful sound; if I was a sea gull, _I _would have stayed.

"I do run track, though," I told him. "I'm pretty good."

He grinned. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Want to race?"

I weighed my chances. Jacob's being long-legged gave him a big advantage. Oh, well. "You're on," I smiled, and stopped walking.

"On your mark…" he crouched, giving me a sly look out of the corner of his eye. "Get set…"

I started running as fast as I could. The sand slid underneath my feet, making it harder.

"Hey!" I heard Jacob exclaim behind me, laughing. "Cheater!"

I ran faster. I didn't hear him behind me, and I wondered if Jacob was really slow. I glanced back and he was but a foot behind me. Surprised, I tripped and went sprawling in the sand.

"Whoa!" Jacob tried to stop but tripped over me and ended up on his stomach next to me. I looked at him and he was still laughing, lying in the sand, making no move to get up. His hands were folded underneath his chin as he looked at me. "Cheater." He stuck his tongue out at me.

"You would have beaten me, even if I got a ten-second head start," I sighed.

He chuckled. "Probably." He reached over and tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear, his hand lingering by my jaw. Then he jumped to his feet and helped me up.

There was a loud crack of thunder overhead; I glanced up and realized the sky was dark and angry.

"Shoot," Jacob muttered. "Looks like rain. I knew it…"

"We should get back," I said reluctantly, looking at the sky.

We were walking back when I felt a raindrop of the top of my head.

Jacob laughed. "Shit, here it comes." The rain came down, fast and hard. "Come on!" he said, and starting running back to the house. I tried to keep up with him but I kept slipping. So much for being a good runner, I thought to myself.Jacob noticed me stumbling and, shaking his head, took my hand to pull me along. His hand was very warm. He pulled me along, and it was much easier to keep from falling.

We burst inside his house, very wet.

"Go out to the garage, Jacob," Billy Black called. "Don't get the entire house wet."

Jacob rolled his eyes. I followed Jacob through the house and into a roughly built garage. There were two motorcycles leaning against the wall, and unrecognizable parts and tools were scattered around the floor. A half-assembled engine was lying in the middle of the floor.

"Who's is all this?" I asked.

"Mine," Jacob said, shrugging modestly. "I like cars and stuff."

"Wow," I murmured, going to the motorcycles, which were the only things in the garage that were in one piece. "Did you build these?"

Something flashed in Jacob's eyes but was gone before I could read it. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Do they run?"

He acted offended. "Of course they do." He was wringing out his shaggy black hair, shaking the water from it.

I laughed. "My dog does that."

He grinned and shook his hair again; it fell messily into his eyes. I wasn't very wet; just my knees, from falling. I wrung out my hair anyway.

"I think it's safe to go back now," he said, glancing around the garage and then going back into the house. I followed him. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"Me too. What do you want?"

"Whatever you have."

He opened the fridge and started examining its insides. I sat at the kitchen table, waiting. "How's grilled cheese sound?" he asked.

"Good."

He found cheese, bread and butter, which he sat on the counter, got two plates and turned the frying pan on. He took out enough bread for five sandwiches and then paused, staring uncertainly at the food before him. "Um, Anna?"

"Yes?"

"Are you good at cooking?"

"Sort of."

"Well… Could you help me?"

I laughed, standing up and going to the counter. "You can't make grilled cheese on your own?" He grimaced and shook his head. "If you can't make that, how can you possibly survive?"

"Through a lot of care-packages from Emily," he said with a crooked smile.

I laughed. "Knife, please."

He looked at me cagily. "Um, why?"

I rolled my eyes. "What do you expect me to spread the butter with?"

"Oh! Right." He placed a butter knife in my hand.

As I made sandwiches, I was hyperaware of Jacob standing closely behind me, watching.

"How many am I making?" I asked.

"Three for me, and however many you want." His voice was different, and he sounded distracted. I glanced up at him and his black eyes were intense; it looked like he was struggling to decide something. I quickly turned my attention back to sandwiches.

When they were done, I put them on plates and turned to hand his to him. He was sitting at the kitchen table, watching me with a slight smile. I sat down across from him and slid him his plate.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

I bit into my sandwich self-consciously; he was still looking at me with a soft expression, with that smile. He looked like he had a secret.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head, chuckling. "Nothing." I kicked him gently under the table. "Really, nothing," he insisted.

I took another bite, still watching him carefully. He met my gaze evenly with the same strange expression on his face. He laughed. "Don't look so worried, Anna."

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked.

His eyes danced. "Has anyone ever told you that you're absolutely beautiful?"


	8. Everything

**A/N**: Be forewarned, this chapter switches point of view twice. I'll let you know when it does, of course. I suppose I could have made it into three chapters, but it seemed unnecessary.

Enjoy! Review!

* * *

**Jacob's Point of View**

Anna quickly became… Well, everything.

She was in my dreams, in my thoughts. Her laughter played perpetually in my mind; the sound never got old. Her smile lit up my days. I thrived on her glances, her touch. No one made me as happy as she. Anna made me want to be a better person... She made me want to fix the world so it would be perfect for her.

And I hardly knew her.

The day Anna had come to my house was the day I became positive she was the one. I watched her make grilled cheese for us and, standing close to her, I realized there was no place I would rather be. Not even with Bella.

The first person I told was Sam. I didn't actually tell him; we both phased, and he understood. He was happy for me.

It suddenly seemed like I had the world in the palm of my hand.

"Jacob," I heard Anna whisper.

We were sitting on the beach, as we often did on nice days. It had been a little over a week since the bonfire, but it seemed like a lifetime.

She was staring at our entwined fingers, resting in the sand.

"Yeah?" I matched her soft voice.

"Is this normal?" She lifted troubled gray eyes to meet mine. "I… We just met barely a week ago." She bit her lip.

"I know," I sighed. How could I explain to her that I already knew she was all I wanted, all that was meant for me? That we were destined for each other? I could think of no scenario that didn't end with her being frightened away.

"I feel like I _know_ you, though..." she continued. "It's… It's so strange. I've never felt like this before."

"I know what you mean," I responded, raising our hands and softly kissing the back of hers.

"Do you think we're going too fast, though?" she asked anxiously. "It's so strange…"

"I think that if _you _think we're going too fast, we can slow down," I responded. "Whatever you want." She sighed and rested her head against my arm. We sat in silence for a few moments. I could almost see the wheels in her head turning. "What are you thinking about?"

I glanced at her in time to see her frown. She sat up, dropping her gaze. "I was thinking about… Well, this is going to sound dumb, but I was thinking about how well we fit." She looked up at me and quickly returned her attention to the sand.

I tilted her chin up with my unoccupied hand and smiled at her. "We _do _fit. That doesn't sound dumb to me."

"Actually, it is sort of dumb, because technically, we don't fit," she mumbled. At my confused expression, she clarified, "You're a foot taller."

I laughed. "You scared me for a minute there."

She looked up at me, and the effect was literally dizzying. In that moment, I felt connected with her, closer than I would have believed possible… I almost thought she understood how much she meant to me. How much we could mean to each other.

Maybe she did.

Like most days, the rain sent us back into the house. Billy was used to seeing her around. To my mild surprise, they got along great; Anna's brother was an avid basketball player and she and my father had discussed the sport at length at least a few times.

Today, Anna decided she wanted to watch a movie. We sat in the living room and I crouched by the TV, running my finger along the spines of the VCRS in the shelf below it.

"What do you want to watch?" I asked.

"Surprise me," she decided.

* * *

**A/N: Here we go. We're switching. Same moment in time, but now we're shifting to Anna's point of view. Absorb that for a moment. Don't get confused. **

Jacob selected a movie, popped it into the player and joined me on the couch. We sat, watching commercials and old previews play.

"Do you…?" he started, leaning towards me. His seriousness surprised me. "What do you think of, um…?" He sighed and leaned back again, running his hand through his hair. "Never mind."

"What?" I prompted. Now I was the one leaning forward.

"Nothing," he groaned. "I shouldn't have said anything."

I poked him in the ribs and he squirmed. I could he him fighting a smile. "Ticklish, Jake?" I laughed, poking him again.

"Not as ticklish as I bet _you _are," he grinned, jumping towards me and tickling me on my sides. I screamed and laughed and squirmed; I was _very _ticklish.

"Okay," I gasped. "Alright!"

He laughed and stopped, but didn't distance himself. He was leaning over me; I was leaning against the arm of the couch, recovering. I glanced at him and realized he was studying my face, his suddenly serious again.

"Ann?" he said quietly.

"Jake?" I responded.

"Think it would be alright if I kissed you?" he asked, his voice slightly huskier than usual.

"Yeah," I said, my voice sounding breathless. I wanted to kick myself, but there was no time for that; Jacob was asking permission to kiss me. "I think that'd be okay."

He gave a small smile, and I leaned towards him unconsciously. He reached out hesitantly to touch my face, to draw me closer. And then his mouth was on mine for an instant and I forgot how to breathe. He pulled back far enough to look at me, study my expression. I realized, as I looked into his eyes, that I was in love with Jacob Black. I wondered how long this had been going on without my noticing.

I coiled my arm around Jacob's neck and pulled him towards me. He smelled like rain and pinewood and fire. It was lovely.

His lips were soft, gentle as they moved against mine. His hand cupped my face. Was his skin always this hot, or was I the warm one?

When I drew back reluctantly, we were both breathing rather raggedly. My heart was beating sporadically, excitedly in my chest.

He shifted so he held me; my head rested on his chest, over his heart. Jake kissed the top of my head and made a content sort of humming sound.

* * *

**A/N: Switch again! Back to Jacob's point of view.**

If I was ever certain about anything, it was this; I loved Anna. I had imprinted on Anna.

I looked down at her, content in my arms, and felt… whole. I was happy. Being with her, there was none of the constant sadness and torment there had been with Bella; there was only the blissful knowledge of knowing that Anna and I were together, and we had forever to be that way.

I was whole again.


	9. Thoughts

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay in updates. My cousin flew up from Florida, and I've been spending time with her.

Thanks for the reviews so far! And enjoy.

**Bella's Point of View**

* * *

I was sitting in my room with Edward when the phone rang downstairs. He smiled and then the phone was in his hand. I had hardly even seen him move from his place next to me.

"Swan residence," he said into the phone.

"Give it," I whispered, trying to sound authoritative.

His expression darkened as he listened to person on the other end. "Oh. Yes, hello... She's right here." He put his hand over the receiver to muffle it and said, "Would you like to speak to Jacob Black?"

"He's there?" I gasped. What could this possibly be? Pain for Jacob reared its ugly head. The last time I had seen him, he had been broken, both inside and out. Things had never really been put right. "Let me talk to him."

Edward placed the phone in my hand. "Hello?" I said, my stomach brimming with nervous butterflies. Edward slipped his hand into mine and I gripped it tightly.

"Hey, Bells!" Jake said enthusiastically.

"Hi, Jake," I answered, confused. "What's up?"

"Well… Nothing, really," he said light-heartedly. "I was just thinking about you and… Damn," he murmured. "Don't you have a wedding soon?"

"I guess I do." I looked at Edward. I had been putting it off as best I could, but Alice, once excited, was especially hard to persuade.

"It's in… what, a week?"

"Yeah," I sighed, turning my hand to watch Edward's ring sparkle.

"Cool. I'll be there."

"Really?" I was even _more _surprised now.

He laughed, hearing it in my voice. I could almost see him smile. "Yeah, of course. Do you honestly think I would miss your big wedding day?"

"Well… I didn't know. I wasn't sure," I said carefully, not wanting to stir up memories of the last time I had seen him.

He ignored it. "Mind if I bring a guest or two?"

"Sure, Jake. Bring whoever you want."

"Great," he said, and again I could hear the smile in his voice. "See you soon, Bells. I'll be… looking forward to it."

"Yeah," I said, for a lack of better words. "See you soon."

The line went dead. I stared at the phone in my hand.

Edward's cold hand on my cheek brought me from my thoughts. I looked up at him; his expression was carefully composed into one of polite curiosity, but I could the anxiousness in his golden eyes. "What was that?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," I answered, frowning. "He seemed really happy. He's coming to the wedding."

"That should be interesting," Edward murmured.

* * *

**A/N:** Switch to Anna's point of view.

* * *

I spent a lot of time at La Push. There was a sense of family there that I didn't find anywhere else. Jacob's friends welcomed me into their life with open arms, and I felt comfortable. They were amiable, warm and humorous. The dynamics of the group sometimes confused me, but I didn't dwell on it.

One afternoon, I was at Sam and Emily's house for lunch with Jake and some of his friends; Jacob had left momentarily to run an errand for Emily. I was in the kitchen with her, baking brownies, when she looked at me with a strange expression on her face.

"Anna," she said, putting down the spoon she was using to stir the brownie batter. She pressed her lips together. "I probably shouldn't say anything, but..." she sighed. "I want to thank you. I feel so grateful… Well, we all do."

I frowned. "For what?"

"You sort of saved Jacob," she said with a smile. "Jacob was always a naturally very happy person. He was always smiling, always optimistic. Then… some things happened, and we weren't sure if he'd ever fully recover." Her expression became distant as she remembered.

I tried to picture Jacob not being the cheerful person I knew him as. Like Emily said, he was always joking, always laughing. He radiated happiness, like a sun radiates light. The thought of Jacob burning out was painful.

Emily shook her head and brought herself back to the present. "He's better, now, though. Recovered. You can't see the change in him, but the rest of us do. And…" she smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess I just want to tell you how thankful we are for you."

"What happened?" I asked. I tried to imagine… but couldn't come up with anything.

Emily shook her head. "It's not important. What _is _important is that Jake's over it. And," she smiled, "on top of that, we've got you. Don't say anything to Jacob about this, though, okay?"

"Sure, sure," I murmured, unconsciously using Jacob's line as I lost myself in thought.

Billy had invited me over for dinner again that night. I wondered how my elderly aunt and younger brother were fairing, and felt a surge of guilt. I had been spending a lot of time away from home, and I knew Devin was hardly an amazing cook or caretaker.

We ate the fried fish Emily had prepared early that day. I floated through conversation at dinner on autopilot; a million things were racing through my mind. Billy seemed unaware, happily enjoying his fish, but Jacob was more observant. I saw the concerned looks he kept giving me.

After dinner, Jacob and I went into his garage. The Rabbit was parked in it tonight, and we sat, Jacob in the driver's seat and me in the passenger's. Jacob studied my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked. When I didn't respond, he said, "You seem kind of spacey."

"I'm just sort of worried about Devin and Aunt Rosa," I told him. "I've been leaving them alone a lot lately."

"We don't have to be in La Push, you know," he said. "We can spend time at your house."

I liked how he said _we. _My worst fear was that Jacob would get tired of me. When I voiced my fear in a timid question, he laughed, shaking his head.

"Nonsense," he told me, leaning over and kissing my cheek. He made a hurt face. "I can't believe you'd even _think _like that." I laughed half-heartedly, and he looked at me carefully. "Is that all?"

I sighed. "No," I admitted. Looking at him, I tried to judge what kind of reaction my question would have on him. "Do you know a girl named Bella Swan?"

"I do," he replied, his expression not changing. I sighed, and he laughed. "Get to the point, Anna. What about Bella?"

Get to the point. "Did you love her?" He squinted at me, like he was trying to decide how to answer. Finally, he just nodded shortly. "What happened?"

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Really really."

He shrugged. "Alright. Well, Bella had this boyfriend... Edward Cullen." He made a face unconsciously as he said Edward's name; I recognized the flicker of anger and bitterness in his eyes. Jealousy? "He left and she was really depressed. Bella and I became friends…" I saw his hesitation.

"And you two fell in love?" I asked.

"More or less," he said with a rueful smile. "She was still in love with Cullen, so when he came returned to town, they got back together."

I tried to picture this, using the small amount of detail Jacob had given me. I had seen Bella and Edward at school before they graduated, and knew how inseparable they were…

"Why'd he leave?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I never asked. It wasn't something Bella liked to talk about."

I tried to put myself in Bella's place and image what I would do if Jacob were to leave… The idea was not a happy one.

"That must have been hard," I said, thinking of both Jake and Bella. I wondered if Jake was still in love with her. I felt the obvious stirrings of jealousy, but more strongly that that, I felt sad for Jacob.

He said nothing for a moment, lost in thought. "Is that all?"

"Yeah," I said, my suspicions confirmed. Bella was at least one of the reasons Jacob had become depressed.

He made a humming noise. "Well, I have something to ask you," he said.

My heartbeat sped up, expecting the worst. "Sure."

"Would you like to come to a wedding with me?"

That was different. "Um. Okay, I guess."

He chuckled. "Don't look so nervous."

I bit my lip. "I don't know... I'm not very good with formal occasions..." The idea of dresses and high heels made me shudder. "Whose is it?"

"Bella's," Jacob said. "She's marrying Edward."

I gaped. "Really? And you're okay with that?"

"Well, sure," he said, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you loved her..."

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I used to. But I'm not jealous, if that's what you're getting at." His expression turned softer. "I love _you._" The back of his forefinger traced down my cheek, to my jaw. He smiled. "So does that mean you'll come?"

"Wedding. Right. Sure thing," I breathed. I was too focused on Jacob's feverishly hot skin on mine to remember my adversity to weddings.


	10. Our Little Secret

Jacob's Point of View.

* * *

"When, Sam?"

He stared at me from across his kitchen table with a carefully composed expression as I shuddered quietly. I clasped my hands together tightly to keep from breaking anything.

"That's up to you, Jacob," he said. "It's not my decision to make."

"When did you tell Emily?"

"Shortly after we met."

I thought about that. "And she accepted it?"

"Yes." He paused and I watched him carefully, concentrating. "I think sooner, rather than later, would be best. You've imprinted on her; she has a right to know."

Today. It had been a month since I had met Anna, and it seemed like so much longer…

I knew I would have to tell Anna eventually; letting her in on La Push's little secret was inevitable. She should be able to realize what she was getting herself into. I was in constant turmoil over this matter; of course I knew I should tell her, but there were so many things that made me want to resist the knowledge. What if she was disgusted and wanted nothing to do with me? That was my absolute worst fear. And besides, how was I supposed to break the news to her? There were no books written on how to tell your girlfriend that you sometimes turn into an oversized wolf.

Today, though. Today I would tell her.

She arrived in her brother's small Toyota. It was raining, as it did more often that not. I stood by her car door with an umbrella open as she climbed out, smiling.

"Hey, Jacob," she said. I leaned down to kiss her and she smiled up at me, gray eyes warm and trusting. I swallowed hard.

"Anna," I replied, trying to smile back.

She glanced around me; Sam was standing in the rain behind me, by his car, his hand resting on the door. "Where's Sam going?" she asked.

"Um… There's somewhere I want to take you, honey," I said, touching the ends of her hair. "Sam's going to come, too. Is that alright?"

She looked mildly surprised, but not alarmed. I remembered that she had no reason to be; she had no idea what she was about to be subjected to. "Sure," she said easily. So trusting.

I took her hand and guided her to Sam's truck. He smiled and greeted her; she answered cheerfully. We climbed into the back of his car.

"So, where are we going?" Anna asked, entwining both her hands with mine.

"There's a place down the road a ways… There's something I want to show you."

She nodded contentedly, looking out the window as the soggy green scenery bounced by. We were off the main road now, out on a dirt strip that led nowhere. We were sure to have privacy here.

Sam parked his truck in the middle of the path. I got out and opened the umbrella for Anna. She hopped to the ground and we walked up the path a ways.

"Where did Sam go?" Anna asked, looking around.

"He's back in the truck, I think," I said. I knew Sam had disappeared to give us a moment of privacy. My words caught in my throat. "Anna…" I started. I had thought about this moment over and over, but somehow all the eloquent speeches I had come up with escaped me now. "I don't know how to say this," I admitted, staring at the ground. "I just want you to know that I'd never hurt you, okay?" I looked at her. She looked concerned, confused.

"I know, Jake," she said. "What's going on?"

I kissed her forehead. "I'll show you in a minute. Just remember, okay? Nothing is going to happen to you." She looked a bit frightened now. "I love you."

I handed her the umbrella went into the woods, out of sight. I knew Sam would be by her side now, not to leave her alone. She would probably question him about what I was talking about; he would tell her to be patient.

I undressed as quickly as I could and tied my clothes to my ankle, phasing effortlessly. My heart thundered in my chest, more frightened than Anna at this moment. I walked slowly towards the road where Sam and Anna were waiting beneath the umbrella.

Sam saw me first, but showed none of the surprise that Anna did. I stood in the shelter of the ferns by the edge of the wood, half-exposed. I waited for her to back away or run, to show some sign of fear.

"What is it?" she whispered curiously.

"A wolf," Sam said simply, in a normal volume.

"It's really beautiful… Is it tame?"

He chuckled. "Probably not _tame_, but I don't think it's dangerous to us."

She stood in place, appraising me. I took a step forward and heard her breath catch, but she didn't move. Slowly, slowly I took a few more steps forward until I was completely out of the woods.

"It's so _big,_" Anna said softly.

I lied down, staring up at her. She looked at Sam; he nodded, and she took a small step forward, watching me carefully. Something flashed across her face and she straightened up immediately, scanning the woods quickly and flicking her gaze at Sam before looking back at me again. She crouched down.

"Jacob?" she whispered very quietly, eyes wide. I lifted my head and whined. "Is that you?"

I dipped my head. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand towards me, allowing me to sniff her hand; I licked it. She laughed softly and touched my fur, studying my eyes.

"Can you talk?" she asked. I laughed at that, which was more of a barking noise. Anna sat there for a moment, taking in my size and form. "I want to talk to you. Come back."

I got to my feet and went into the woods again to phase. When I returned, Sam and Anna were already in the truck. I climbed into the back with Anna; she was sitting there, staring impassively out the window. She looked at me and smiled, though her expression was unreadable.

We sat in silence for the rest of the ride. I didn't touch her, too worried that I would frighten her. Too scared that she would brush me off, disgusted. I had no idea what she was thinking, and it gnawed at my stomach the entire way home.

The rain had stopped by the time we pulled into the driveway. Sam got out of the car and disappeared into the house; I went around the side of the car and opened Anna's door for her. She got out, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration. She took my hand and we walked to the beach, out of view of the house.

She sank to the ground, staring out to sea. I sat down next to her carefully, watching her. Slowly, she focused her attention on me.

"That was you, in the woods," she said. I nodded. "You're a wolf."

"I'm human first," I told her.

"Can you… change whenever you want to?"

"Yes," I said. "And sometimes when I don't want to." She raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes when I get really angry or upset, I phase without meaning to. I'm pretty good at controlling myself, though."

She fired off question after question; I explained everything to her as best I could. Finally, she seemed to wear herself out. She propped her chin on her elbow and stared out at the ocean again.

"Are you okay?" I asked after a moment.

"Yeah," she said, looking at me. "I am. And I'm glad you told me." Her expression changed; her eyes widened and her face became ashen. My heart sank. "So… Does that mean you're a werewolf?"

I chuckled humorlessly, nervous as hell. "I guess so."

"Do you…" She bit her lip and sighed. "Vampires?"

"They're real, too, if you can believe it," I said.

"Do you...?" She sighed heavily again. "Tell me about them."

"We were pretty much created to hunt them," I started. She took this in and stared over my shoulder, still white. "What's wrong, Anna?"

"My father…" she whispered. "He was a vampire."

Shit.


	11. Explanation

**A/N: **Hey, thanks for the reviews so far. It's great. I hope this chapter will explain most of your questions.

* * *

I paused, unable to move or even think for a moment. Anna was watching me carefully, like I was some sort of unpredictable wild animal.

"What?" I finally managed to gasp. "Your father? But you… How is that even _possible?_" I sputtered. "That can't be--… A _vampire?_" I was aware I wasn't making sense, but I couldn't wrap my mind around the concept. A million questions raced through my mind and slammed into each other, becoming incoherent before they formed. I kept thinking, _No, this can't be happening. Not this. Anything but this._ How did I manage to fall in love with yet another girl who was involved with those leeches? How did this keep happening to me?

She smiled and shook her head a little. "Don't give yourself a brain hemmorrhage, Jake. Breathe for a minute." I did as she instructed, filling my lungs with air and exhaling slowly. My mind started to sort itself out after a few deep breaths. "Now, what were you saying?"

"What happened?" I asked, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. "Is that even possible?"

"It's possible," she said darkly. "Shall I tell you the whole story?"

"Please."

"Alright. I'll give you the quick version, from the beginning. So, I used to live with my mother, father, and Devin. When I was thirteen and Devin was ten, my dad was… attacked. At first, we didn't know what was going on. He went into the city to run some errands and didn't return for four days. When he came back, he was… different. I have his gray eyes, but when he came back, his eyes were black. He looked different and smelled different. He even moved differently. There was more... It was all very strange."

I could perfectly imagine the changes Anna was describing.

"My mother was an alcoholic by then, and she and Dad didn't have a very open relationship. He talked to me, instead. He explained to me what was had happened to him, as best he could, and tried to make me understand what he thought the changes meant." She sucked in a deep breath. "Well, he tried to continue on with our normal life, but it didn't work. He almost killed Devin… And then he left, probably because he felt so awful. I don't know what happened to him after that, or where he went, but I haven't seen him since. Mom killed herself about four months later."

I exhaled in a loud _whoosh; _I realized I had been holding my breath. The force of what Anna had told me sank in.

"God, Ann," I choked, reaching for her without thinking about it. "That's horrible."

She curled up against my side, letting me wrap my arm around her. "Yeah, pretty much," she sighed. "Devin forgot about it mostly, so that's good… That's why we live with Aunt Rosa now."

We sat in silence for a few moments, both lost in thought.

"So… It doesn't bother you, does it? That we're made… to hunt vampires?" I asked carefully.

She hiccupped. "No. I'm pretty vampires took both my parents away. I'm not especially fond of them." She took another breath, like she was about to say something, but hesitated. "Do you think it was a vampire?"

"Yeah," I answered honestly. "I don't know a ton about them, but from what I do know… It sounds like your dad was turned into one of them."

She thought about that for a while. I put my arms around her and rested my chin on the top of her head, staring out at the ocean. I noticed it was starting to drizzle.

"Remember that story you told me at the bonfire, when we met? When you all freaked me out?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, chuckling as I remembered.

"That was about vampires, wasn't it?"

"Sure was. I guess we lied. It wasn't really a ghost story; vampires are much worse."

"Have you ever seen any?"

"Actually, Anna…" I twisted so I could look at her. "You know that wedding we're going to? Bella and Edward's?" Her expression darkened at the mention of it, but she nodded. "Well… Edward and his family are all vampires, as ridiculous as it sounds." I grimaced.

"Oh," she said, her eyes widening. "Well, that changes things."

I chuckled. She accepted this all so easily… It worried me.

"Are you okay with all of this?" I asked seriously.

She turned her clear gray gaze to me. "To be honest, it's completely mind-boggling and frightening."

"I would never let anything hurt you," I murmured.

"I know," she answered, and gave a small smile. "That's why I'm okay with it all. Because you're here. I don't think I need much more than that."


	12. Till Death Do Us Part

**Jacob's Point of View**

"Are you _positive _this is safe?" Anna hissed as we made our way to our seats. When she had realized that she would be meeting vampires, a whole family of them, she had shown a good amount of fear. Sam had been able to convince her that they were safe.

Sam laid his hand on Anna's shoulder. "It's alright," he assured her again in a low voice. "The Cullens may be vampires, but they're no danger to you, especially not right now."

We took our seats under the large, white tent. Yellow lights were strung around the outside of it and lanterns hung inside. Chairs were placed in the grass beneath the tent for the guests, leaving room for the aisle and such. There were hardly twenty. Off to the right was another tent, equally lit up, where the reception would be held. Beyond the tents was the dusky dark of twilight. The sky was streaked with gold and pink, though the sun had already set. I saw Quil, Embry and Jared lurking in the shadows of the woods surrounding us, in their wolf form. Just as a precaution.

"It's beautiful," Anna breathed, looking around.

"Aren't you glad you came?" I teased. It had taken a lot of persuading to get her to come, even after she agreed she would.

She rolled her eyes and otherwise ignored my question. Instead, she nodded towards the front of the tent. "Is that them?" I nodded as an answer.

The big Cullen, the really bulky, muscled one, stood in the center. I assumed, by the book in his hands, that he would be performing the ceremony. Edward stood in his place with a blonde-haired Cullen there as the best man. In the dim light, their skin didn't look as strange, though their scent was everywhere, and it burned my nose.

The music cued – there was no band, so I figured there must have been speakers somewhere – and the bridesmaids began to file down the aisle. There was a tall, statuesque blonde one and a smaller dark-haired one I remembered to be named Alice.

And there was Bella on Charlie's arm. She looked beautiful as always, in a long flowing white dress. I kept waiting for her to fall and break her ankle in those tall shoes she had on. Her eyes, sparkling with tears, were locked with Edward's.

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

I tried to focus only on Edward, on the warm caramel shade of his eyes tonight. I didn't look at the faces of the guests. Charlie lifted my veil, kissed me and handed me off to Edward; I didn't see him take his seat. Edward stared at me, the force of his blazing gaze enough to distract me. Emmett's words slurred in my mind… Edward said his vows in a low, slightly husky voice, just as beautiful as ever.

And then, soon after, it was over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen?" Emmett bellowed, grinning as he held his arms out. Edward had a huge smile on his face and he kissed my cheek. Our small smattering of guests clapped and cheered.

It wasn't until we were in the reception tent that I finally snapped out of my daze.

I found my mother; her mascara was running a little. She snatched me up in a big hug and started crying.

"It's alright, Mom," I kept telling her, rubbing her back and she blubbered on.

She pulled away and wiped her eyes, mindful of the makeup she had on. "Sorry, Bella," she said with an apologetic smile. "I just… Well, you know how I feel. But still, I'm so happy for you." She tried to smile.

"I know, Mom. It's okay. Keep Charlie and Phil company, alright?"

She nodded and squeezed my hand, then joined Charlie, Phil and Billy at one of the tables around the edge of the tent.

Edward and Alice were there in a flash.

"You look so pretty in that dress," Alice said, smiling as she looked me over again.

"You did a wonderful job with the tents," I told her.

She grinned. "I know."

"Jacob has something he wants to tell you," Edward said. "You should probably go see him before he explodes." Alice rolled her eyes and danced away.

I glanced around instinctively and saw him seated at one of the tables. I glanced between him and Edward, hesitant to go over.

"What are you waiting for?" Edward asked with a crooked smile. "The dog is waiting."

I rolled my eyes and stalked off to Jake's side of the tent.

"Hey, Bella!" he said, grinning when he saw me. "You're married!"

"Shut up," I said. He laughed.

He was sitting with Sam, Emily, Billy and a girl I didn't recognize. He was wearing a black tuxedo and looked very nice. His hair was a lot longer than it had been the last time I had seen him. Besides that, though, he looked different, somehow… I couldn't quite put my finger on it. There was a huge plate of food already in front of him, so that much hadn't changed.

Jacob stood and pulled me into a big bear hug, lifting me off my feet.

"Good to see you, Bells," he said.

"You too," I gasped, my chest being crushed in his death-grip.

He laughed and set me on my feet. "There's someone I want you to meet," he said, looking at the unfamiliar girl seated at his table.

I took a better look at her; she was small, with thick reddish brown hair and wide gray eyes framed with long black lashes. She looked vaguely familiar. She wasn't looking at me, though; she was watching Edward. It wasn't the longing, admiring gaze he usually got from girls; she looked wary, almost confused. Jacob took her hand and pulled her to her feet, catching her when she stumbled in her heels.

"Bella, this is Anna. Anna, Bella," Jake introduced.

"Hi, Bella," Anna said, smiling at me. "I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you. Oh, and congratulations, too."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too," I said, but my attention was no longer on Anna. I was focusing on Jake. The way he looked at her, the way he moved around her… Could Jacob possible have imprinted?

No. He would have told me.

I then had to remind myself that things weren't like that between Jake and me anymore.

* * *

**Anna's Point of View**

It was getting late. Jacob had convinced me to dance with him, and now we swayed slowly, despite the up-beat tempo of the songs being played. My head rested on Jacob's chest as I tried not to stay awake. Falling asleep while dancing... That's would be a feat. I yawned.

"You're silly, Anna," he told me as he stroked my hair. "It's barely even ten at night. How are you tired?"

"It's been a long day," I mumbled. The Cullens were not at all how I had pictured vampires. They were elegant, beautiful and poised. I had expected their eyes to be black, like my father's had been, but all of them had varying shades of gold for eye colors. I had spoken briefly with Edward and his sister, Alice, and they seemed very civilized and charming. It was hard to believe they were the essence of nightmarish myth. "Can we sit down, please?"

He chuckled. "You're cute when you're half-asleep." I tried to give him a look but I couldn't really lift my head. He helped me to a chair. "I'll be right back, okay?" I nodded, and he kissed my forehead. "Don't go anywhere." That made him laugh. I sat back in the chair and tried to stay awake.

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

Edward was doing that thing again, where he made it look like I wasn't a completely clumsy idiot by dancing with me standing on his feet. Not like we were fooling anyone. He had one hand on my waist; the other was clasped with mine in an old-fashioned style dance. He twirled us around effortlessly.

"You really do look beautiful," he said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll just be happy when I can get out of these death-traps." I glanced down at the shoes I was wearing.

Despite myself, I knew it had been a wonderful night. The tents really were beautiful, and the whole routine had been practically painless. And now, in at least one regard, I actually was part of Edward's family. One step closer to having what I wanted more than anything.

"Looks like we have company," Edward said in a low voice, looking over my shoulder. We turned and I saw Jacob watching us from the edge of the tent. "He wants to talk to you."

"Um, okay," I said, wondering if I would be able to walk once we stopped dancing. Edward slowed and I stepped off his feet. "I'll be right back," I said, standing on my toes to kiss him.

I wobbled over to Jacob, tripping as I approached him. He caught me by my arms.

"Whoa there," he said with a laugh. "Good old Bella. Still practically handicapped."

"No kidding," I sighed, straightening myself up. I glanced around; his friend, Anna, was at a table, her chin propped up on her hand. "Can we talk?"

Jacob nodded. We walked out of the light of the tents and sat on a big rock, out of earshot from those who shouldn't be listening.

"So…" Jacob said, swinging his legs. "You're leaving soon, right?"

"Next week," I said quietly. It wasn't something I was looking forward to… Saying goodbye forever to everyone I loved. I knew we could never return to Forks, after I was changed; it would initiate an all-out clandestine war. _That _would not be pretty. I shuddered at the thought. "Anyway," I said, trying to move on to a lighter subject, "who's that Anna girl?"

Jacob grinned. "She's… Well, my girlfriend, I guess." He frowned. "It seems a little strange putting it like that."

"Did you…?"

"Imprint?" he finished for me. "Yeah. I did."

I nodded, feeling the expected stabs of jealousy. Painful, but in a dull aching sort of way. The knowledge that my angelic, perfect Edward was waiting under the light of our wedding tents made it better.

"What's it like?" I asked.

"It's…" he sighed, a strange look in his eyes. "I don't even think I can put it into words. It's so much stronger than I was expecting."

A few moments passed as I thought about the life he would have with Anna. "I'm glad you're happy, Jake."

He smiled and nodded, looking down. "What about you?" he asked. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah," I said, looking at the glow of the tents. "I am."


	13. Sweet Dreams

I wasn't actually conscious enough to remember leaving the wedding; I came to in Jacob's car. He looked over at me, and I could just barely make out his face, smiling at me through the darkness.

"Go back to sleep," he said. "You look exhausted."

My vision blurred as I did just that. Then I was in Jacob's arms, standing in the dark of my front yard. He was holding me against his chest like I weighed nothing, staring up at the window of my second-story bedroom.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice sounding strange. I liked being this close to Jacob, through.

He shushed me gently and pressed a finger to my lips.

Next thing I knew, I was being set on my feet, inside my room.

"Go to bed, Anna," Jacob whispered and disappeared.

I went to my dresser and fumbled into my pajamas, wondering where he had gone. I was stumbling to my bed when Jacob reappeared.

"Sleep now, okay?" he said, pulling the covers back for me. I slid in under them and looked up at Jake.

"Can you stay?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Would you like that?" I nodded fervently. "Alright, then. For a little bit."

I moved over so he would have room. He laid on his side, facing me, head supported on a folded arm. He put a warm arm around my waist and pulled me close. "Comfy?" he asked in his low, husky voice.

I wriggled closer to him, laying on my back with my face turned towards him, so our noses almost touched and my shoulder was against his chest.

"Yeah," I sighed happily, closing my eyes.

As I fell asleep, I wasn't sure what was real. Everything had taken on dream-like qualities.

"Jake?" I murmured.

He ran his finger across my cheek. "Mm-hmm?"

"I'd like to see you as a wolf again."

He chuckled, and I felt his chest move. "Sure, sure." He sounded tired, too.

"And Jake?"

"Right here, hon."

I yawned. "How long will you stay with me?" My words sounded slurred.

"Hopefully not all night… Billy will --,"

"No, not just now," I interrupted. "Bigger than that."

"Oh."

I opened my eyes and met his steady gaze, so close to mine. I reached up to touch his face, to find him in the dark.

"That's a silly question," he said, kissing my fingertips. "I'll always be with you forever, if it would make you happy. There's no where in the world I'd rather be." He smiled and pressed his lips to my hair. "I promise."

Even in my half-asleep state, I felt my heart swell up in my chest. I wanted to tell Jacob that I loved him, but my voice wouldn't cooperate.

I fell asleep with Jacob tracing patterns on my back, feeling more content and safe in his arms than anywhere else.

In the morLning, the light streaming through my window awoke me. I put my pillow over my head, hoping to return to my dreams of Jacob sleeping next to me and telling me that he would stay forever. The light had invaded my head, though, and made the dream seem even less real that it had before.

I sat up, sighing as I found absolutely no trace of Jacob in my familiar room. How disappointing.

As I was getting out of bed, I noticed a piece of paper on the floor by my bed. I recognized it as a piece from my box of stationary, folded in half. I picked it up and opened it, sitting back on my bed.

'Anna –,' it started in dark, cramped handwriting.

_Good morning. I wanted to stick around – you're really beautiful when you're sleeping, you know – but if I'm not there when Billy wakes up, he'll probably freak. _

_Anyway, this will probably sound really cheesy, but… I just want you to know how much I love you. I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Trust me on that one__. No one makes me as happy as you do._

_Ha, yeah that was pretty bad, but it's true. _

_By the way, if you still want, I'll pick you up tomorrow (today?) and show you the beast within again. Ha, ha. Bad humor._

_I love you, Ann_

_Love, Jacob_

I stared at the words, taking it in, and thought about how really lucky I was. Jacob was such a good person, so loving and light-hearted. He was one of those people that made others feel good, just by being around. Jake was my best friend. No where else could I find the trust or companionship or love that he showed me.

And, sure, he turned into a wolf sometimes, but was that _really_ such a big deal? I mean, no one's perfect.


	14. Confusion

I really just want to finish this now, aha. My estimate would be a few more chapters, if that.

**Anna's Point of View**

* * *

"This is amazing, Jake," I whispered, though I wasn't sure if he could hear me. He was in his wolf form; I was laying on his back, my arms and legs firmly locked around him (though he was much too big for me to actually get all the way around him), my face pressed to his neck. I felt his muscles and bunch and stretch beneath me as he ran through the woods, much more fast and nimble than I would have believed, considering his size. It was exhilarating and frightening, but I felt safe with Jake. I always did. 

The trees disappeared and suddenly we were in a clearing. We crossed it quickly and were almost into the dense forest again when Jacob shoved his heels into the ground. He slid a few feet with the sudden stop and he whipped around, a loud growl ripping from his throat. He crouched down and I slid off his back, understanding that something wasn't right. I glanced around the clearing where he was so intently staring, still crouched in an aggressive pose...

I recognized Bella and Edward. Bella was laying on her back, propped up on her elbows; Edward was standing in front of her, also crouched in a defensive stance. His dark gold eyes flickered from Jacob, to me, to Bella, and around the clearing.

"It's not what you think," Edward said. His voice was strange, the unnatural beauty of it warped by the aggression. He composed himself and stood up a little straighter as Bella also got to her feet, watching the two warily. "_No,_" Edward sighed, eyes trained on Jacob. "We know. We want it just as little as you do." Jacob made a coughing bark that sounded sort of like a snicker.

What was he _talking _about? I began to wonder about the sanity of Edward Cullen.

Edward's eyes narrowed and his expression turned mocking. "Don't worry about _that, _dog. We'll make sure we're far from La Push before anything like _that _happens."

Several things happened then, very quickly. I heard Jacob give a loud, angry snarl and then he leaped towards Edward; when Jacob landed, I expected him to come down on Edward and crush him, but the vampire was standing six feet away.

"Stop it!" Bella screamed. I was frozen in place. "Both of you!" she shouted. She pointed a finger at Jacob. "Control yourself!" She turned to Edward. "And _you, _don't taunt him like that!"

"I --," Edward started, his surprise obvious on his face. He darted to her side.

"Stupid vampires and werewolves," she huffed, crossing her arms.

Edward looked around at us, hands hovering over Bella's shoulders. His gaze settling on Jacob. "Sorry, Jacob. I overreacted. That was… unfair of me." Jacob growled, walking towards Edward until they stood little more than two feet from each other. I watched Edward unconsciously shift to put himself between Bella and Jacob. Was he afraid Jacob would hurt her?

"I don't want it for her, either, Jacob. I want it as little as you do. She's very stubborn, though, you know that as well as I do…" Edward gave Bella a small smile as she looked at him with a strange expression on her face, like anger and desperation and curiosity all mixed up. "And besides," he said to Jake with a shrug, "I gave her my word." Jacob growled, and Edward sighed. "Yes, we'll be there. Yes."

They stared at each other for another moment and then Jacob padded over to me. He brought his head down to look at my face for a moment, and then crouched down so I could crawl on his back again. We dashed through the forest and I could almost feel the heat of Jacob's intensity as we ran even faster than before, a growl occassionally slipping from him. I thought about what Edward had been saying -- it had seemed like he was having a conversation with Jake, but Jake couldn't _talk_. He was a wolf, for crying out loud.

I decided that they were probably all crazy.


	15. Scuffle

**A/N: **Well, I hope this chapter makes sense. I'm exhausted.

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

It was disgusting out. Rain poured from the sky in huge bucketfuls, not raindrops. The ground sank and squished beneath our feet. I wore three shirts, a sweatshirt and a raincoat with the hood on. Of course, no one else seemed affected by the rain. Of course not. Coats were only for weak humans like me.

We were in the woods, in a small clearing. I stood to one side with the Cullens, between Alice and Edward; facing us were seven boys from the pack, all phased. Maybe Leah was there, too; I was really too preoccupied to tell.

Jacob had called this… this _meeting _to talk about the treaty. Edward seemed unconcerned; he said we could go to Alaska to change me, and the La Push pack wouldn't even know. That meant never coming back to Forks… It was something I was willing to deal with.

I replayed in my mind the last time I had seen Jacob. Edward and I had been lying in our meadow, when suddenly Jacob appeared with Anna on his back. From what Edward had told me about their conversation – the one that took place half from Edward, half in Jake's mind – Jacob had thought Edward was changing me when he saw us in the meadow. Hah, I wish. Jacob had reminded Edward of the treaty, and Edward had said that they didn't want a war anymore than the pack did. Then, Edward had mocked Jacob, causing Jake to attack; _that _was bad.

And now we were here. In the rain. In the wet, gross rain.

Sam Uley stepped forward in his wolf form; Edward stepped forward as well. Emmett stepped into Edward's place, he and Alice forming a protective wall of marble around me.

I watched Sam and Edward converse; it made no sense to me. I couldn't hear Sam's thoughts, and Edward spoke too low for me to understand.

"What's going --," I started to say to Alice, when something else grabbed my attention.

I watched in horror as one of the wolves -- Seth, maybe? -- sprang forward and lunged at Edward. He was taken by surprise by Seth and was knocked to the ground. Emmett went to his brother's defense, and I could almost see the adrenalin take him over as he swung a fist at Seth and pulled Edward to his feet.

And suddenly they were all in on it, defending their own, trying to drag each other off one another. And there was nothing I could do. I watched as a russet-colored wolf flung itself at Alice, to be taken out mid-jump by Jasper, who was then knocked to the ground by another wolf. It all happened so quickly, I could barely keep up. I looked for Edward and saw that he was gripping his shoulder, staring calculatingly at a wolf who circled him. Emmett quickly took care of that, and then it was again just a mass of bodies moving too quickly for me to keep up with.

And suddenly, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The wolves suddenly all stopped fighting and backed up several yards. My eyes swept over everyone; two of the wolves looked injured, and Edward was gripping his shoulder.

"Edward!" I cried. He was at my side instantly, his eyes anxious.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Of course _I'm _okay – what just happened? Are _you_ okay?"

"I'm fine," he said. "Don't worry about me."

"What happened?"

"Something I said made Seth angry. He acted on impulse – he's still young. Sam commanded them to stand down." He grimaced. "Unfortunately, I think Emmett and Jasper got a little carried away." At my horror-struck face, Edward continued hastily, "Nothing serious. They'll be fine."

"Clearly, this cannot be handled," Carlisle said, shaking his head as he stepped forward. "If you would excuse us…"

* * *

**Jacob's Point of View**

"Are you _crazy?" _Anna exclaimed, staring at me with wide eyes. Her horror turned to concern as she quickly scanned me and then focused on my face again. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," I chuckled. "Besides, we heal really fast."

She raised an eyebrow, but moved on. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "Nothing really. A brief scuffle, but Sam made us back off."

She looked at me, her expression unreadable, and then flung herself into my arms, hugging me fiercely to her. Surprised, I put my arms around her and rubbed her back.

"What's the matter?" I asked softly.

She shook her head into my neck. "That could have been _bad,_ Jake," she mumbled. "What if you had been hurt?" She pulled back a little to stare at me. "What would I do without you?"

"Don't worry," I told her, kissing her forehead. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

She frowned, her forehead creasing. "What about Bella and Edward? What's happening with them?"

I tried to keep my tone light as I said, "Who knows? Bella will probably end up getting changed… They'll have to leave for that to happen, though." I frowned, too, as I remembered something Edward had said. "How well do you know Edward Cullen?" I asked.

She looked confused. "Not well," she said. "I only talked to him once, at the wedding…"

"If he said that he had found your Max, would that mean anything to you?" I asked carefully.

She blanched. "My dad's name was Max."


	16. Father Dearest

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay in updates..

Review, review!

* * *

**Jacob's Point of View**

I was edgy. Actually, I was more than edgy; I was practically crawling out of my skin, I was so anxious. Everything in me told me that this was bad, and I should lock the doors and turn the car around. I was almost twitchy, the impulse was so strong. I was supposed to keep Anna _safe, _and this went against everything in me. I suppressed the urge to go back to La Push and keep Anna in my house for a while, where she'd be safe; she probably wouldn't be too happy about that.

I stole a sideward glance at her. She was chewing on her lip and kept cracking the knuckles in her hands. She was nervous, too… Possibly more nervous than I was. I wondered if she ever let on to how scared she actually was. She always seemed to take things so well…

I pulled over to the side of the road. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She looked at me with blank eyes, and I realized she wasn't with me – not in her mind, anyway. She sort of shook her head and brought herself back. "I think so," she sighed. "I mean, they went to all this trouble… It would be rude not to show up."

I couldn't help rolling my eyes. We were approaching a vampire lair and she was worried about being _rude _to them.

"You're not scared at all?" I asked.

"Not of the Cullens," she replied. "Well, actually, I'm afraid of them, too… But they've never hurt Bella, and they all seemed so nice… So I don't know." She sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter if I'm scared. I can't _not _go."

I groaned inwardly and started the car. We pulled into the Cullens' obscured driveway and parked, climbing warily out of the Rabbit. I took her hand firmly in mine as we walked to the front door.

I had no idea what to expect. Nervous butterflies beat my insides black and blue, nervous for Anna's safety. This was completely insane. The urge to run was now impossibly strong; Anna and I were outnumbered by far, even with Quil and Embry nearby as they were. It was a strain just to not phase right now.

Anna knocked on the door. I gulped.

It was opened by the oldest of the Cullens, the doctor.

"Hello Anna, Jacob," he said, smiling warmly as he stepped back to let us in. He showed no surprise at my being there... Of course not.

"Hi, Carlisle," Anna said, returning his smile and stepping passed him, pulling me into the house on her way. Their scent was heavy in the house; it burned my nose with such intensity, it was enough to give me a headache. In the large front room, there was only Bella's bloodsucker. Where were the rest of them...?

Edward – it was strange to refer to him by name – got to his feet from the couch and crossed the room, watching me carefully. I tried to keep my mind blank.

"Thank you for coming," he said. I noticed that he moved more slowly right now than was natural for his kind. Probably trying not to frighten Anna.

"Is he here?" Anna asked softly.

Edward nodded solemnly and looked towards the staircase. A man was walking down it; his head was down and he wore a black pants and a long black coat. I heard Anna's breath catch in her throat.

The man stood at the bottom of the stairs, his nose wrinkling as his gaze focused on me for a moment. Then he found Anna.

"Dad?" Anna whispered, looking confused.

"Anna…"

And then he was by her side and they held each other, Anna's head buried in his neck. I heard her broken sob, muffled by his chest, and tensed. He could hurt her so easily…

"They're fine," Edward said beside me. He was watching them, but spoke to me. "His control is sound. He won't hurt her."

I nodded shortly, still not relaxed. They pulled back a little and spoke in low murmurs; I looked away, feeling like a voyeur.

"Where's the rest of your… family?" I asked instead.

"Out," the leech answered simply. "We thought you would probably come and didn't want you to feel threatened."

I chuckled humorlessly.

"Um, Jake," Anna said. Her voice was thick and tears sparkled in her eyes, but she was smiling. "This is my father, Max." She led him closer. "Dad, this is Jacob. He's, uh, my boyfriend."

He sized me up carefully as I did the same to him. He was about 5'11" and looked to be around thirty. He had the same wavy, reddish-brown hair as Anna. His eyes were a light golden color; apparently, he hadn't been eating many humans lately.

"Boyfriend, eh?" He chuckled and stuck out his hand; trying to hide my reluctance, I shook it. His hand was as hard and cold as I had expected. Did Bella actually like that? I thought I heard Edward make a noise.

"So, you're the one that turns into a wolf?" he asked.

I frowned, immediately set on edge. "I guess so."

"Go figure," he chuckled.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" Anna said to her father and the other two, who still lingered in the room. They nodded and Anna touched my arm; I followed her to the other side of the room, though I knew the distance wouldn't give us any privacy. "It's okay," Anna said. "You can relax. He's safe. They all are."

"Right. They're just vampires. Sure, honey, I'll relax." I sighed and looked into her eyes. "Would you like me to stay?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she answered. I took that as a 'no', but I was so reluctant to leave her…

"Be safe, okay?" I said. "For me. Please. I'll be around – just yell."

She smiled. "Nothing is going to happen, Jake." She stood on her toes to kiss me.

I looked at the Cullen. _If anything happens to her, I'm holding you personally responsible,_ I thought, knowing he would hear. The corner of his mouth turned up and he nodded.

* * *

**Anna's Point of View**

My father and I left the Cullen's house shortly after Jacob did. Dad thanked them for their hospitality and for bringing me and him together again, and then we left. Dad said he would take me out to lunch.

I could hardly conceive the difference in him. My most prominent memories of him were from when he human; though I knew he was much different now, it still surprised me. I barely recognized him. I had already been exposed to the unnatural beauty and grace of vampires, it still took my breath away, seeing it in my father. And his eyes were the same golden shade as the Cullens, no longer their original grey or the black they had been after his change.

We got in his car, a sleek expensive-looking thing, and he wanted to know everything about life since he had left. I told him about school, and my friends, and talked a lot about Devin. He said he wouldn't be able to see Devin… It would cause too much disturbance. Because I knew about the vampire world, it made it easier, but Devin was a different story.

We pulled up to a small diner and found seats at a booth.

"What have you been doing all this time?" I asked.

He sighed. "A whole lot of nothing," he answered. "After I left, I moved across the country and tried as best I could to put my life back together."

"How did Edward find you?"

"Actually, we were both surprised at how very easy it was. I had been staying with the Denali family just a few months before he tried to contact me; he contacted them and asked if they had ever heard of me, and they gave him my number. It could hardly have been simpler."

I frowned. "Who are the Denalis?"

"They're another family, much like the Cullens," he said. "They live in Alaska."

We ordered food, which Dad didn't eat, and we talked. There was so much to talk about... Our pasts, the present, our futures. Everything. When we finished our lunch, we started back towards the Cullens house, but I told him I didn't have anywhere to go; instead of him taking me home, we went for a walk through the woods.

"It's… It's really nice to see you again, Ann," Dad said. "I've missed you so much. You, Devin and your mother… You can't imagine how much I've missed you all." He looked at me and there was an immeasurable amount of sadness in his eyes.

"Devin and I have missed you, too," I said. I wondered if he knew about Mom, but decided not to say anything just yet.

The woods were thick, and hard to walk through. There was a lot of underbrush and fallen logs that I had trouble maneuvering through; my father, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine. It was inevitable than I tripped and fell. I scraped the palms of my hand in doing so.

"Shoot," I muttered, sitting on my knees and brushing the dirt off my hands. There were several shallow scratches on each. I climbed to my feet and glanced around for my dad; he was standing a few feet away, crouched in a strange position. His eyes, roomy and distant, were focused on my palms.


	17. Fire

**A/N: **My mother said this was taboo. I said it's fiction in the twenty-first century and anything goes.

* * *

"Dad?" I said softly. He was watching me carefully, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, his eyes wide and dead. Fear set in quickly, flooding through my veins and gripping my heart as realization struck. _The blood. _The adrenalin deadened and sharpened my senses at the same time. My heart was pounding in my chest. I knew that if he wanted to kill me, I wouldn't be able to fight back. I would have no chance. "Dad, you don't drink human blood." I tried to reason with him. "Dad… It's me. I'm your daughter, remember? You don't want my blood." My voice sounded high and pathetic in my ears.

The corner of his lip pulled up, exposing teeth, and he took a step closer. I looked around frantically; the Cullen's house was not too far from here.

"Edward?" I said loudly, afraid to yell in case it would set my father off. "Jacob?"

Hadn't Jake said he would be around?

"Jake!" I screamed. "Help!"

I looked at my father; why hadn't he attacked yet? He was fidgeting, his eyes trained on me. His head kept jerking back and forth and when our eyes met, I saw a flash of my father in them.

"Run, Anna," he said in a broken voice.

I ran. "Jacob!" I screamed. "Jake! Help! Jacob!" I ran as fast as I could.

I heard my father behind me and then the solid rock of his body hit my back. I heard something crack but felt no pain as we soared several feet, landing hard. I tumbled away from him but he was there in an instant.

I tried to get up but he pushed me to the ground, holding me down easily. He gripped my wrist, his eyes feverish, as his gaze swept from my scraped palms and down the inside of my forearm. I screamed as he lowered his open mouth to my arm; struck my across the face and I got the feeling I was sinking, drowning in black water. I felt the sharp pain of his teeth sinking into the soft flesh of the inside of my elbow.

I resurfaced quickly, in time to see a huge brown blur come barreling through the woods and smash into my father, never touching me. I heard ferocious growling noises and a screeching sort of metallic sound; over it all was a piercing scream. Mine? I didn't care; my arm was on fire and it was spreading to my fingers, burning and scorching in my veins, more painful than anything I had ever experienced. I blacked out again.

When my eyes opened, Jacob's face was hovering over mine. His eyebrows were pulled together, his dark eyes anxious.

"Anna?" he whispered. I noticed that my left hand was held between two of his.

"Jake," I tried to say. I didn't recognize my voice when I spoke; it was hoarse and almost inaudibly.

He disappeared from my line of vision then, though his hands stayed curled around mine; I heard him yell, "She's awake!"

He leaned over me again. "How do you feel, honey?" He pressed his lips together.

I thought about that. My head felt heavy, and the right side of my head ached, from my temple down to my jaw. The arm that had been bitten felt strange, but it didn't hurt besides the puncture wounds that were unhealed. Most of the pain, though, was in my back and chest; it hurt to breathe.

"Not too great," I admitted.

Regret and pain flared in his eyes and he lowered his head, pressing the back of my hand to his hot forehead.

Carlisle showed up then. He helped me into a more upright position so I could look around. I was in the Cullen's downstairs, on a makeshift cot. Jacob had pulled up a chair next to me; Carlisle was there now, too.

"How are you doing?" Carlisle asked.

"I hurt," I replied with a chuckle that sent shocks of pain through my chest.

Carlisle grimaced and nodded. "You've got a broken rib and your face is going to have some bruising."

Memories from the woods came flooding back to me. The dead look in my father's eyes, his lightning speed and his strength when he attacked, the intense burning sensation in my arm when he bit me… And then Jacob saving me, just when I thought I was doomed.

Whoa, back up.

_He bit me._

The room spun – I heard Jacob ask, "Anna? Are you okay?"

"I… My arm," I gasped. I tried to focus on Jacob's face, to calm myself. I was watching him when I said this, so I could see his face contort in pain and anger and alarm.

"Does it hurt?" His eyes flashed to Carlisle's face. "I thought you said it was all out," he hissed. "You said she'd be fine!"

Carlisle's eyes widened and he looked at me and then at Jacob. "We… Her blood was clean. This shouldn't --,"

"I'm not… I'm not _changed, _am I?" I asked over Carlisle. I tried to imagine what this would mean for me… It would mean not being with Jacob. I'd have to leave -- how could he handle my being a vampire? Constantly having to fight the instinct to kill me, my scent always burning his nose…

Being without Jacob… How could _I _handle that? My throat burned as a lump formed in my throat, just thinking about it.

Jacob shook his head vigorously. "No. Your arm doesn't hurt, does it?" I shook my head, and he relaxed a little. "Then you should be fine. Cull -- Carlisle sucked the venom out." His expression darkened, and I wondered what he was thinking of. "He did a good job of fixing you up."

I looked at Carlisle. "Thank you," I said.

He smiled and said, "Just give a call if you should need anything," and left.

Jacob sat on his chair, his elbows on the side of the bed I laid in, my hand clasped in two of his. He kissed each of my fingertips as he stared at me. I could see the emotions playing across his face but couldn't read them.

"What are you thinking about?" I finally asked.

"You."

"And?"

He looked at my face, maybe already bruised, and the puncture wounds in my arm. "This… You… I'm so sorry, Anna," he said, his voice thick. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was afraid of. I should never have let this happen…" He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm so sorry."

He felt _guilty._

"Jake. Look at me." He opened his eyes. "None of this is your fault," I said, putting emphasis on every word. "I fell – it was inevitable."

"Not inevitable," he disagreed. "I never should have left you alone like that. I don't know what I was thinking." He shook his head and sighed heavily. "You were almost _killed, _Anna. You could have died. Or… What if he didn't kill you? He could have changed you. That…" He shook his head again, to get rid of the thought. "I should have been there. I knew this was a bad idea. I should have been there for you."

"It's not your personal responsibility to watch over me every second, you know," I said.

He chuckled, but it was off. "Actually, it kind of is." I raised an eyebrow. "Well… This is _not _how I had imagined this going, but I guess now is as good a time as ever…"

"What are you talking about?"

Again, he chuckled. "There's another part of this whole werewolf thing that I… didn't mention. Mostly because I thought you'd get scared off." He made a face.

"You and your friends turn into giant wolves. I just got attacked by a vampire," – his face darkened – "my father, no less. I think I can handle pretty much anything at this point."

He sighed, and then smiled. "Well, I hope so… Alright, so, there's this thing that happens in the pack sometimes. It's called 'imprinting'. I guess it's kind of how we find our soul mate, if you believe in that sort of thing, but it's bigger than that."

Jacob explained to me about imprinting as best he could. He told me about Quil and Claire, and I thought that was pretty cute, if a tad bit creepy.

"Have you imprinted?" I asked. How awful would that be, if he imprinted on someone else? Jacob nodded. I got butterflies, nervous and hopeful. "On who?"

He laughed and mussed my hair. "You, of course, silly girl."

I couldn't help myself; I grinned. "Really?"

"Really, really," he said, laughing quietly. He leaned over and kissed me carefully on the lips.

I watched him and realized that, even though he smiled, it still didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

**Jacob's Point of View**

Idiot. Complete idiot.

I _knew _it was a bad idea. And as I looked at Anna laying on the cot, the left side of her face turning purple, her breathing shallow because of her broken ribs, I felt horrible. Her pain was my pain. It killed me to see her like this, to know the kind of pain she felt. Guilt for all of this tormented me, and I knew it would for a very long time until it loosened its grip on me.

Almost worse was the knowledge of how close I had come to losing her. She had had venom in her veins, poisoning her system, killing her, taking her away from me. My fault. My fault.

And even though I had allowed this to happen, she still looked at me with the same warmth, the same love that had become vital to my survival.

Thank God for Anna.


	18. Woe to the Lion

**A/N: **Thank you thank you to all my reviewers! You make me laugh and smile hugely. Much love.

...Come on, boys. 37 hits and only one review? I'm not posting the next (AND FINAL) chapter until I get at least three. Please?

(Well, final real chapter. There will be an epilogue.)

* * *

**Jake's Point of View**

"So, what are we going to tell Devin?" Anna asked, gesturing vaguely to her broken state.

I pressed my lips together. "You fell down a set of stairs, cracked a rib and whacked your face against the wall."

She nodded. "Ah, yes, now I remember. Thank you."

I chuckled.

"Where's my dad?" she asked suddenly, trying to sit up and look around. I gently pushed her back down.

"You'll hurt yourself if you try to sit up too fast like that," I told her. "Calm down. He's gone."

Sadness filled her eyes. "You… You didn't kill him, did you?" she whispered.

"No, no," I assured her. I had wanted to, but I knew it would make Anna unhappy. And wasn't making her happy the point of everything? "Embry and I got him off you, and he calmed down pretty quickly. He went back to wherever he came from." I reluctantly added, "And he left this for you."

I took the white envelope from inside my pocket and handed it to her. She frowned and took it, opening it carefully and pulling out the letter inside. I knew what it said already; I had read it so many times when Anna was unconscious, I had more or less memorized it. The letter said,

_Dearest Anna,_

_I am so sorry. Words can't express how very sorry I am. This was my worst nightmare, and the reason I left you and Devin in the first place. When you were young, I left to protect you both from myself, and I hope you can someday understand and forgive me for that._

_This latest incident, however, is unforgivable, and I will not ask your forgiveness. I gave myself over to instinct and hurt you, my own daughter… No matter how many times I apologize, it could never explain how horribly guilty I feel. _

_Seeing you today has been the highlight of these last four years. I love you, dear, and I miss you and your brother terribly. Try to remember me fondly, before this mess. You'll be forever in my thoughts._

_--M. _

Anna finished reading and folded the letter in her lap; she stared unfocusedly at it.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

She looked up at me through her dark lashes. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel sad for him, though."

"Why?" I asked, bewildered. _He _hurt _her – _and she still felt for him?

"He didn't mean to hurt me, but he feels bad, obviously."

I sighed. How was it that the bloodsuckers always managed to get off scotch-free? Bella had been hurt by vampires before, and she didn't hold it against them. She was still going to marry one of the filthy leeches. Now Anna felt bad for her father?

I decided I would never understand women.

"He's gone, though?" Anna asked now.

"Yeah," I replied. "Are you okay about that?"

Anna nodded. "I got over him leaving a long time ago. I knew he'd have to leave again, anyway."

I nodded and kissed the back of her hand. "As long as you're alright."

* * *

**Edward's Point of View**

I had watched the girl sleep for a long time. Jacob had never left her side; he pulled up a chair and sat there with her for hours as she drifted in and out of unconsciousness. Carlisle said she could be moved after the painkillers wore off and she was lucid, if she felt well enough to do so.

Anna was so fragile-looking. She was small, smaller than Bella. And now, because my kind existed, she was hurt. The side of her face was turning purple with bruises; the inside of her arm, where she was bitten, was angry and red. That would leave a hell of a scar, once healed.

I couldn't help but compare this to the time Bella was attacked in Phoenix. Anna wasn't as hurt as Bella had been, but they had both been bitten and bruised. Only this time, Anna was hurt by someone she loved, not a crazed stranger.

That just made it all the more difficult.

Max was Anna's father. He and I had become acquainted, and he seemed like a good man. He was intelligent, soft-spoken and was of a mild disposition. In the short time that he had spent with us, he had been very friendly and polite to me and my family. I could tell that he was eager to see his daughter again.

Despite this, his nature had driven him to do the unthinkable. It just made me wonder what _I _was capable of. Bella's face immediately came to mind, beautiful and delicate. How could I ever hurt her? I knew it was possible. Probable.

Woe to the lion that dares love a lamb. I sighed.


	19. Forever

**A/N: **Sorry it's so short. I couldn't think of anything else to happen, though, and I didn't want to just end it with that last chapter...

So, yeah, enjoy!

* * *

**Anna's Point of View**

I made a quick recovery. Devin bought my story of falling down the stairs; his only remark was, "Smooth move. How's it feel?"

The knowledge that Jacob had imprinted – imprinted on _me – _sunk in, and I was happier than ever. My greatest fear had always been that Jacob would leave me, but if what he said was true, he never would. I could spend the rest of my life with him. We could be like Emily and Sam... I got happy butterflies and smiled at the thought. Jacob was mine, for the rest of forever. Nothing in the world could have made me happier.

One afternoon, Jacob and I were sitting on the beach, watching the tide come in. I was in his lap with my head against his chest; his head was rested on top of mine and our fingers were entwined. We breathed at the same time, in and out, and it seemed like our hearts beat in rhythm with each other. We were one; I was whole.

Jacob made a content humming sound deep in his chest and it vibrated through me. I giggled softly.

"Love you, Anna," he breathed.

"I love you, too." I twisted to look up at him. "Forever, right?"

He smiled, and his dark eyes shone. "Forever."


	20. Epilogue: Movies

**Anna's Point of View**

I was cleaning through the drawers of my dresser – they full and spilling over, refusing to shut– when I found something that made my breath catch in my throat.

It was a piece of paper, yellowed with age, all folded up. I recognized it immediately and opened it up carefully.

_Anna, _it said in beautiful, elegant handwriting.

_I'm afraid we aren't very well acquainted, but I have a favor to ask of you. There are things I must tell you, though, before I can proceed. They may seem irrelevant, but I beg you, hear me out._

_Firstly, I do not know how informed you are of Jacob and Bella's relationship, but surely you must know that they were close once. Bella still cares very much for him. _

_The second is that Bella and I will be leaving shortly after our wedding and will most likely not be returning. Bella will probably not see Jacob after our wedding. _

_Because she cares so much for Jacob, she will want to know how he is doing after our departure. This is the favor I must ask of you: to, in some way, document your life with Jacob. I feel certain that Jacob will play a large role in your life as you get older, and I ask you now to record some of this, whether it be through letters or photos, and send it to Bella and me. I know Bella will want to know how Jacob is fairing. _

_Please, if you could do this for me, I would be forever in your debt, and forever grateful. _

_Best of wishes_

_--Edward._

It was followed with an address in Alaska, and instructions to send anything there. Edward explained that he didn't know where he would be living in the years to come, but his friends in Alaska would; they would mail to him anything I sent, if I left a note for them to do so.

Memories from that first summer with Jacob came flooding back; I unconsciously touched the scar on the inside of my arm. One of the best summers of my life; those months gave me Jacob.

Reading the letter over, I knew it was finally time. Edward had given the letter to me on his wedding night, and I had thought of it often in the last ten years. Our life was established enough now that I would have something to show. It was time.

**Bella's Point of View**

"Bella?"

I heard the lovely voice of my husband from across the house. I was reading a novel; he had been on the couch with me, but had disappeared just moments ago.

"Yes?" I answered.

"A package for you just arrived."

A package? Who could that be from? My first guesses were Alice and Esme. It had been a few months since I had seen either of them; perhaps they had something they wanted to show me.

I closed the book and got to my feet, joining Edward in the kitchen. The house we now owned was beautiful; it was relatively small, because there was just the two of us, but I loved it. It was homey. Edward had wanted something bigger and more elegant, but I had insisted on the cape we now lived in. It was quaint and pretty, and we had an amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean. I thought it was perfect.

Edward was holding the small brown package with a happy, knowing look on his face.

"Who's it from?" I asked.

Edward shrugged and smiled. "See for yourself."

I took the box from him and looked. La Push, Washington.

"What is this?"

Edward shrugged and smiled. "Open it up and find out."

I sat at the kitchen table and tore off the brown paper. Edward stood behind me and watched.

Inside was a box with a note taped to it.

_Edward and Bella – I hope you both are doing well. Here's the story of our life, pretty much, since you two have been gone. I hope it tells you what you want to know. _

I looked up at Edward for an explanation, but he gave none. Utterly confused, I opened the box; inside were jewel cases of CDs and some bulky envelopes.

"I believe they're DVDs," Edward said. "Would you like to watch them?"

"Sure," I said, still utterly confused.

Edward took the box from me and went into the living room; I followed him and sat on the couch. He crouched by the armoire that the TV sat in and shuffled through the jewel cases; he selected one and popped it into the player, and then sat next to me.

The screen turned snowy, and then there was a wobbly picture. A home video. The picture spun around until it focused on a familiar face – Quil Ateara.

He grinned. "Hey, camera," he said. "We've got some big news in the Black household today, that's for sure."  
The Black household?

"Look at this lovely couple." The camera spun away from Quil and focused on Jacob and Anna, standing together outside. He didn't look any different than I remembered; upon seeing his face, my breath caught in my throat. Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. What had happened to him since I had left? I noticed that Anna looked a year or two older.

Jacob had his arm around Anna. He made a face at the camera; Anna laughed.

"So?" Quil's voice said. "Tell us the big news. Come on."

"Quil…" Jacob protested, rolling his eyes. "Turn that thing off."

"No way!" Quil objected. "Come on, tell." Jacob glared uncooperatively, so Quil focused the camera on himself again. "I'll tell, then. Jacob proposed."

I gasped. Edward chuckled.

"That's right. They're engaged, at the ripe age of nineteen." Quil focused the camera back on Anna and Jake. "How do you two feel about this turn of events?"

Anna smiled. "It's great."

Jacob was still obviously uncomfortable. "Yeah. Turn it off."

"No."

Jacob came towards the camera and the picture started jerking around spastically. I heard yells of protest and the sounds of a brief scuffle before the TV screen turned to snow again.

The next shot shown seemed to take place quickly after the first. Quil was still in interviewing mode, but he was inside now. The camera focused on Billy and Charlie, who were sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Oh, my God," I gasped. It was my dad! I wanted to jump up and hug the TV screen. He looked older than the last time I had seen him; his brown curls were more shot through with gray, the lines in his face more pronounced. I felt a surge of guilt.

"So, Billy," Quil was saying. "Your baby boy is engaged. How do you feel about this?"

Billy rolled his eyes. "We're trying to watch the game, Quil."

"What about you, Chief?" Quil persisted, turning the camera on my father. Charlie squirmed uncomfortably. "What do you think of the engagement?"

He sighed and resigned to answering. "I think they're much to young to be thinking about marriage." I was forced to remember what I had put Charlie through when Edward and I announced _our _marriage. "But I think they're good for each other," he continued. "They make a nice couple. I have only the best wishes for both of them."

"Well said, Charlie," Quil chuckled. "I, um, I mean, Chief Swan."

Dad laughed and waved his hand in dismissal. "Alright, now go away. You're interrupting the game."

There were a few more scenes like that on the CD; most were of Jacob and the boys from La Push just goofing around. The last was of Jacob and Anna leaving for college, waving as they climbed into the car and drove away.

It was good to see him again. Jacob. To see his face again, hear his voice, see his smile. It also hurt more than I was expecting. But he seemed happy, and I knew I was happy with Edward… Things had worked out for both of us. That took the edge off of things, definitely.

I looked at Edward. "Did you set this up?"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Getting someone to send the videos," I answered. "Did you?"

He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Guilty as charged. I asked Anna to."

I thought about that. "Thank you."

He chuckled. "You're being awfully reasonable about this. That's not like you at all."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Well, it's nice seeing them all again."

He nodded. "Next video, then?"

"Next video."

There was a time gap of about four years between the first video and the second, when Anna and Jacob went to college. The first scene on the second video was a brief one of their return. Anna looked older now, but still younger than Jacob, whose body had matured so quickly.

The next was their wedding. Jacob looked really handsome in his tuxedo, and Anna was beautiful in her simple white dress. They got married on the beach; it was a beautiful, clear evening for the Olympic Peninsula, and the sun was just setting behind them. This seemed to be a more professionally done video, because the picture didn't bounce like it did in Quil's home videos. The wedding was an amazing ceremony; the intesity of Jacob and Anna's love made it almost tangible as they stared at each other through the vows. Kim was the maid of honor and Embry was the best man... I wondered what kind of fighting or betting had gone on to determine who got to be best man, and laughed to myself.

I listened to them say their vows and didn't realize I was shaking until Edward touched my shoulder. My throat burned, and I knew that if I was able to cry, I would.

"Should I turn it off?" he asked in a quiet, silken voice.

"No, no. I'm just happy for them."

The next scene was Anna and Jacob standing outside a gray, shingled house. It was relatively small, but they were both grinning proudly.

"Ah, it's a beaut," I recognized Embry's voice this time. He wasn't visible, so he must have been holding the camera. "It really is." He called, "How are you two feeling?"

Their smiles widened, if that was possible, and they responded, "Great!"

"Who's gonna bring me on a tour?"

Anna laughed. "You've already seen it."

"Yeah, but the camera hasn't."

The house inside was nice, and reminded me of a lot of the other houses in La Push. It was scantily furnished and there were still boxes everywhere, indicating that the newly wed couple had just moved in. Suddenly Embry stopped focusing on the insides of the house; the camera's view went from the walls to Anna, who was giving the tour. It dropped from her face to her stomach.

"Hey there, little momma, what's this?"

It focused back on her face, and she rolled her eyes. Jacob walked by and said, "You're so weird, Embry." He went to Anna's side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "What are you talking about?"  
Embry's detached hand appeared, pointing to Anna's belly. She had a slight bump.

"Oh," Jake said, chuckling. "Yeah. We weren't exactly planning on that, but hey, things happen." He made a comically aghast face.

"How many months?" Embry asked.

Anna raised three fingers. "Almost four."

Jacob reached towards the camera and then the screen turned black. It was quickly followed by another scene; Anna was coming down the hall of a hospital on a hospital gurney, her stomach huge, gripping the sides of the bed tightly. Jacob followed behind it quickly, with Kim, Emily, and a few other people I didn't recognize behind him.

"Remember to breathe, Ann," Jacob was saying. "Come on, like the instructor showed you."

The gurney came closer and Anna caught sight of whoever was holding the camera. Her eyes widened.

"Quil Ateara, you turn that goddamned thing off right now!" she shrieked. He laughed and followed the parade of people as they disappeared around the corner -- I caught another glimpse of my father, pushing Billy in his wheelchair. They both looked much older. That scene quickly changed into a more peaceful one.

Anna was sitting in a hospital bed; in her arms, she cradled a baby swathed in blankets. Jacob had pulled up a chair next to the bed and they were both staring lovingly down at the little bundle.

"What are you going to name it?" Kim asked. She seemed to be the one holding the camera now.

Anna shrugged, not taking her eyes of the baby. "Maybe Jacob."

"Nah," Jacob said, shaking his head. "Because then the little guy might take after me, and we definitely don't want that."

Anna laughed softly, and the video ended.

Edward jumped up to put the next video in and then joined me on the couch.

"Wow," I said. "They're married. They've got a baby."

Edward nodded, searching my face carefully. I knew where his thoughts were going. Every time babies were brought up, he got nervous that I would start regretting the choice I had made.

"Don't start," I told him, and he chuckled.

The next CD was a bunch of short scenes of the baby; him switching from breast-feeding to a bottle finally, his first steps. His name was Eli, and he was adorable. He had crazy black hair, long lashes and dark grey eyes like his mother. He seemed to be a very happy baby; in all the shots I saw of him, he was laughing and giggling. What really got to me was how good of a father Jacob was. Just watching Jacob watch little Eli, I could tell that he was going to be a wonderful dad.

Those scenes ended, and the next CD jumped a few years ahead. Quil was holding the camera and had it fixed on Anna as she stirred spaghetti in the kitchen. They were chatting idly.

"Why do tape everything?" Anna asked, glancing back at him.

"Claire likes the camera," Quil answered.

Anna chuckled. "How's she doing? I haven't seen her in months."

"She's great."

"How does she like sixth grade?"

"Well enough," Quil answered.

I did some quick math – if Claire was about twelve now, that meant that this video was less than a year old.

"Edward," I said. "Is this the last of the videos?"

He nodded. "But there are some pictures in there, too."  
I pressed my lips together and turned my attention back to the TV screen.

Jacob entered the kitchen – he grinned at the camera and went to Anna, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He scooped her hair to one side and kissed her neck.

She giggled. "We're on camera, Jake," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "But I managed to lock the kids in the bedroom. That's not something I can pull off everyday."

"You _locked them _--," Anna started, twisting around to look at him with wide eyes.

"No, not really," he laughed. "I told them that if they stay in there for five minutes, I'll take them to the store tomorrow."

Anna relaxed and smiled. "Oh… Well, in that case…" She stood on her toes to kiss him, shooting the camera a look that obviously said _Quil, turn it off. _

They were interrupted, though, by two small children, a boy and a girl. The boy looked about five years old, the girl about eighteen months. They both had black hair and tanned skin. I recognized the boy's gray eyes – Eli. He had grown up fast. The little girl must have been his sister. She was beautiful; she looked a lot like Jacob.

"Daddy," Eli said. "Why are you eating Mommy?"

The little girl giggled, and Jacob and Anna laughed and pulled away from each other.

"I thought I told you both to stay in your room," Jacob said, crouching down to look at them. He narrowed his eyes.

The little boy widened his eyes in innocence. "Well, Daddy, we stayed as long as we could."

"Did you count to one-hundred really slow, like I told you to?"

Eli held his hands up in a shrug. "I can't count that high."

"What about you, Bell?" Jacob asked, looking at the little girl. "Can _you _count that high?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Bell?" I whispered, looking at Edward. He shrugged and kissed my hair.

On the TV, Jacob looked slowly from one child to the next. They giggled nervously. "I'll give you three seconds to run," Jacob said. "I hope you can count _that _high."

They stared at him, wide-eyed. Anna laughed.

"One… Two… Three!" He roared and stood up. The children screamed and ran into the other room. Jacob ran after them, and Quil followed with the camera. Jacob scooped them both up and, growling, pretended to eat their bellies. They giggled and screamed as their father tossed them on the couch and tickled them.

The screen turned snowy again.

"He's a good father," I said, mostly to myself. "They're happy."

Edward nodded. "They're happy, I'm happy. Are you happy?"

"I'm happy."

He kissed my forehead. "Then everyone's happy."


	21. Author's Note!

Wow. So that's the end. I can't believe it, haha. I'm going to miss Anna and Jacob. I'm thinking about writing a few oneshots about them; I've got some ideas... I am not writing a sequel, though. At least, I'm not planning on it.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers and readers!

Love, Caiti

PS. Someone was asking about how long it took me to write this. I started around Christmas, so let's say December 25, and I finished mid-January, I believe. So it took me about about a month to write, I think.

**P.S. x2:** I can't think of anything else to do for a oneshot that wouldn't be completely boring. Any ideas? Post a review or something. Lots of ideas. Post seven in one review. It'll be great. If there's an interesting one, I'll write it out. So go. Write things.

Oh and sorry to anyone who's into my other story, 'Gravity or Something'. I've got the fourth chapter half-written.. But I'm having lots and lots of writers block lately. Reeeal sorry!


	22. ONESHOT: Recreation

**A/N: **This is one of those promised oneshots. **This is not another chapter of _Love, Jacob. _**I just thought it would be easier to post the oneshots here, for various reasons. (Here, readers actually want to read the oneshots. Here, I don't have to explain who Anna is, etc.)

Enjoy!

**By the way, I want at least three reviews. Please? Make me happy? Make me want to post more oneshots? xx**

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**Anna's Point of View**

"I want to take you somewhere today," Jacob said, looking down at me. His hands, so big and rough, yet so gentle, were wrapped around my neck, his thumbs stroking my jaw. He was bent over slightly, so I didn't have to turn my head completely upward to look at him.

"Like where?" I asked. The intensity of his gaze was making me feel scatter-brained.

"Some rocks," he said. His voice was husky and sort of breathless. One hand slipped off my neck and trailed slowly down my back.

"Yeah?" I tried to concentrate on our conversation. The rocks, what were the rocks? He lowered his head closer to mine and my question was immediately cast from my mind.

"Yeah," he responded, his warm hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer. I reached up and touched his arm, just because I had to touch him in some way. "How would you, uh…" He leaned down and touched his lips to mine. I immediately reached up to his neck to pull him towards me. I fought the urge to jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. The kiss deepened but he pulled away a few centimeters, his face so close, to look at me. I could see the passion in his eyes and my chest ached with desire and love for Jacob.

"What are they?" I breathed and tried to focus.

"They're, um, some cliffs…" He put his hand on the back of my neck and kissed me, his other on the curve of my hip. I wound my arm around his neck and he stood up, taking me with him. My feet were a few inches off the ground and he was still kissing me. I wrapped both arms around him and he scooped me up. Now, I _did _wrap my legs around his middle. He put an arm around my back to support me and keep me there; the other he entangled in my hair. Still kissing me, his mouth so warm on mine, he ran his fingers through my hair and stumbled to the couch. I ran my hands over his shoulders and chest, so strong and solid. Thank God Billy wasn't home.

He set me down on the couch, never letting go of me. I felt his weight on top of me, but of course Jacob made sure I was okay. He held up enough of his own weight that he wouldn't crush me. His arms formed a solid barrier around me, locking me in place. As if there was anyplace else I wanted to be; I felt more at home in Jacob's arms than anywhere in the world.

"What were we talking about?" Jacob asked, his voice low and husky. He had one hand under my back and the other tracing up and down my arm and down my sides, hesitant to go anywhere else.

"Rocks," I reminded him, leaning up to kiss him. He kissed me back heatedly, and I felt every bit of his body on top of mine, so welcome. I would never get enough of him.

"Right," he said, leaning back and at the same time pulling me on top of him. I put my knees on either side of his waist; he gave a small groan and reached to pull me down to him. "They're these… Big cliffs… Real pretty…" he said, pausing to a trail of fire down my neck. He kissed the hollow of my collarbone and brushed his lips from there to my shoulder. "God, Ann, you drive me crazy," he sighed.

I collapsed against him, laying my cheek on his chest. "I think I know the feeling."

He traced patterns on my back, giving me pleasant chills and raising goose bumps on my arms. "Yeah, but we all know _you're _crazy." He chuckled at his own joke and kissed the top of my head.

I turned my head, my chin on his chest, to look at him. Desire still burned in his black eyes. I touched his cheek. "Now?"

He smiled. "Sure."  
Jacob sat up and pulled me to my feet as he stood. Taking my hand in his, he led me to the fridge and took out a big wicker basket.

"What's that?" I asked. He smiled and shrugged, touching his hand to my back as we walked out to his car. I climbed into the passenger's seat and he into the driver's, and he put the basket in back.

"So, really, where are we going?" I asked, now that we could think clearly.

"This place that a lot of the kids around here like to go to when the weather's nice," Jacob said. "There won't be anyone there today, though."

It was a brilliant evening. _I _thought the weather was wonderful; summer's heat lingered, despite the trees that were beginning to burn orange and yellow at the edges. The sun hung close over the horizon, warding off the impending darkness. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, which promised continuing good weather.

Jacob and I drove for a while, south of La Push. The road here was winding and unpaved. Oftentimes nothing was in view except trees, and then suddenly we would catch an incredibly view of the Pacific Ocean. We were far above sea level now, driving near the cliffs that towered over the grey ocean. Jacob pulled over at one of these spots where the ocean was in sight and we got out of the car.

"Is this the place?" I asked, noticing that he was carrying the basket now. He nodded, looking apprehensive. "Jacob," I laughed. "What's in the basket?"

He smiled and pulled me close to his side, kissing my hair. "Come on, silly girl."

He led me over to the cliff. The gray stone dropped off steeply here, down to the water. There were no other rocks; just a sheer drop to the ocean. Below us and off to the left, there was another outcropping of rock, but that was it. Jacob stood much too close to the edge, gazing over the side of it.

"Jake!" I hissed, standing a few yards back. "Get back! You'll fall!"

He turned around, smiling. "It wouldn't be the worst that's happened to me, even if I did." My eyes widened and he shook his head, chuckling. "It's alright. Come over here for a moment."

I shook my head. "No, thanks."

"No, really," he insisted. "It's amazing."

"I can see it from here, thank you very much."

His mouth formed an O-shape. "Anna!" he gasped. "You aren't _afraid, _are you?" I rolled my eyes. "Anna the Fierce, who is regularly in the company of werewolves, who has taken on a vampire, is afraid of a little cliff?"

"I'm afraid of heights," I said meekly.

He kept his overly surprised expression intact for a moment, and then smiled normally. "That's alright," he said.

"Gee, thanks."

He laughed. "Turn around for a minute, okay?"

"Will you come away from the edge?"

He took three big steps away and was standing just in front of me. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, staring down at me with such forcefulness, I wondered if we were going to repeat the scene from his living room. "Turn around," he whispered. "I'll tell you when you can look. _But_," he said, pointing a finger at me and tapping my nose, "you can't look until I say. Alright?"

"Alright," I agreed. He kissed my forehead and I stepped away, turning around. I heard some shuffling and clinking noises, and him muttering incoherently to himself.

"Having problems, Jake?" I asked.

"No, no," he answered. "Just don't turn around."

"Okay."

There was more of the same and then his arms were around me. "Alright," he said.

I turned around, and on the ledge of the cliff, a blanket was spread out. There was food all set up; I saw a lot of fruit and sandwiches.

"Aw, Jake, did you do all this?" I asked.

"Nah, Quil and Embry ran up here really fast while you were turned around and set it up. I had no idea." He chuckled and I looked up at him; he was shaking his head. "Duh, Anna." He kissed the side of my head. "Well…" He looked sheepish. "Actually, I did have some help from Emily."

Of course. Jacob couldn't put food together to save his life. I laughed and stood on my toes to kiss him. "It's great. And what a perfect day, too."

He grinned. He took my hand and we went over to the blanket; he sat down and I curled up in his lap. He leaned back on both hands and was like a heated recliner. Admittedly, I was grateful for Jacob's warm temperature; my human self was chilly up here on the rocks. Immediately, he took a sandwich and began eating. I ate some grapes off a plate and leaned into him, watching the sea and the gulls overhead.

I don't know how long we sat there; maybe it was an hour, maybe it was a few minutes. It was wonderful. The sun was setting now, streaking the sky with vibrant pinks and oranges as it set. Clouds that hung heavy over the sky were colored purple and gold. The ocean reflected the medley of colors, warping and changing it as the waves churned.

"It's beautiful," I sighed.

"Yeah," he agreed. "It is."

Jake shifted me in his lap and looked at me, his expression serious but also hesitant. His dark eyes searched my face, looking extremely vulnerable.

"Anna…" His gaze dropped from my face to his hands. "I know it hasn't been that long, me and you... But I, uh…" He sort of laughed at himself and looked at me. "Well, it feels like a while, though, doesn't it?"

I smiled, absently playing with the frayed edges of a hole in his pants. "A long while," I agreed. I felt like I'd known Jacob my entire life.

He nodded, returning my smile. "Yeah. Long. Well… I love you, Anna. You know that." His eyes blazed with the sincerity and depth of his words. "I always will."

"I love you, too, Jake," I whispered. His gaze locked with mine never failed to leave me breathless.

He gave a small smile. "We're special," he said. "We're not like everyone else." I knew what he was talking about, without him having to say it – he meant that we weren't just high school sweethearts. Our relationship wasn't on the same level as those of normal teenagers our age; what we had was something much deeper, much stronger, and beyond our control. Normal standards and rules didn't apply to us. "Still, though," he continued, "I wanted to do something special for you."

I glanced around at the picnic he had set up. "It's very nice, Jake."

He chuckled. "No, not the _food, _honey. I…" He reached behind him and pulled out a little box, plain white and square. He took my hands and placed it in them. "Mind you, I'm not exactly the richest bastard around." He gave an apologetic grimace. I glanced, wide-eyed, from the box to Jacob. "Well, open it," he said.

I did. Inside was a necklace on a thin silver chain; the pendant was a smooth sort of sparkling rock in a circle shape, encased in silver save the side facing up. It was dark gray with flecks of blue and gold, and changed and glimmered when I moved it.

"It's beautiful," I murmured.

"It's the same color as your eyes," Jacob said. "I found it on the beach and had it made into a necklace. Do you like it?"

"I love it," I answered honestly. "Thank you."

He grinned. "Anything for you."

"Will you put it on me?"

""Course." His hands deftly undid the clasp; I lifted my hair off my neck so he could put it on. "There." His hands lingered on my neck and I leaned into him again. He put his chin on my shoulder, his head against mine. I felt completely content.

"Do you come out here a lot?" I asked after a while. The sun was gone from the sky now, and the colors along with the light were draining slowly.

"I used to," he said, "but I haven't been out here in a while. If I don't come alone, usually I'm with some kids from La Push in the summer when we're bored."  
"What do you do?" I asked, trying to think of what could be so entertaining down here. Sure, the view was beautiful, but would that be enough to entertain a group of bored teenagers?

"We jump off the cliffs," Jacob said simply.

I twisted around and stared at him, sure he was kidding. His face showed no signs of his joking. "Really?" I gasped.

His eyes sparkled with amusement at my answer. "Sure, sure," he said with a smile.

"Do _you _do that?" I asked.

His smile widened. .""Sure thing."

I turned back to the ocean. _Jump _off the cliff? "Are you _suicidal_?" I gaped. It was at least one hundred feet down to the water, which was freezing, no doubt.

He chuckled and kissed my neck. "No. We do it more for fun."

"Where's the fun in jumping off a cliff?"

"It's exhilarating," he told me. "And besides, it's not exactly like there's a whole lot to do around here."

"Isn't the water cold?"

"Sure, but that's part of the rush."

"It's so _high._"  
"Well, yeah, but we don't jump from way up here. Most of us jump from a lower spot."

"Crazy."

I could almost hear him making a plan, thinking dangerous thoughts. I twisted around to look at him, narrowing my eyes.

"What is it?" he asked innocently.

"_No_."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said with big, childlike eyes. I continued to stare at him and finally he grinned. "Aw, come on, please, Ann?"

I shook my head vehemently. "We'll die."

He rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think I'd let anything like that happen to you?" I didn't answer; instead, I stared at the ledge. "It'll be fun," he insisted. "I'll be there the whole time. We can jump together. Fall together." That didn't sound _as _bad, admittedly, but I still didn't want to.

He saw my defenses weaken and struck mercilessly. "It will be over in a few seconds, and I'll be right by your side the entire time. I can hold you, if you want, when we jump. It'll be the most exhilarating thing in your life, Ann, I swear. You'll want to do it again and again. It's so much fun."

I sighed. "Do I really --,"

"Yes!" he exclaimed victoriously, jumping to his feet and pulling me with him.

"_Now_?" I exclaimed shrilly.

"Of course! When else?" he said, looking back at me. He had my hand in his and was already towing me towards the edge.

"No!" I shrieked. "Not from here!"  
He laughed at my panic, going back to me and pulling me close. "I know," he said soothingly. "Calm down, okay? We won't do anything you don't want to." What lies, I thought, what lies. Despite myself, Jacob's soft voice had calmed me down. He took my hand again and led me down a hill, off to the side of where we had our picnic; there was a rough sort of path down the side of the cliff, where it wasn't so steep, and we were able to climb over to the lower outcropping.

It was smaller, and we were forced more towards the edge. The water still seemed impossibly far down, and it was dark now, creating a strange atmosphere; despite my fear, I wanted to jump. I wanted to feel the intense exhilaration that Jacob had described. For some reason, being outdoors at night always made me feel free. Especially on warm nights like this (although the night was actually a bit chilly; it was just Jacob, standing so close to me, that was warm.)

"Ready?" Jacob asked.

"No," I answered.

He chuckled. "Take off your shoes so they don't get soaked." I slipped them off and he kicked our shoes behind us. "Ready?" he asked again.

I took a deep breath and tried to think positively. This would be fun. Jacob would be with me. It would be alright.

"One…" He secured his arms around me. "Two…" And then he flung himself off the rock.

It _was _exhilarating. I left my stomach on the rocks, so that was no problem. I felt like I was flying, contained in Jacob's protective arms. It was the most wonderful, frightening feeling, falling like that. The wind cut through me and we fell and fell and fell. I could feel Jacob's frame shaking with laughter, though the wind caught his voice and tore it directly from his mouth.

And then we hit the water. We fell so Jacob hit it first, and the impact wasn't as strong on me. Still, it was freezing cold, and Jacob released me before we hit. The water was like a thousand little needles in my skin. Underwater, I tumbled around, seeing only the blackness of the insides of my eyelids. My arms waved around me helplessly, and for a moment, I felt panicked; what if I couldn't find the surface? Would I drown? My chest was already beginning to burn as I spun and thrashed in the water.

And then there was a warm hand on my arm and I was being towed somewhere – up? My head broke the surface and I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with much-needed air. Jacob was bobbing in the water next to me, his hair slicked back with water.

"You okay?" he yelled. The current was strong, pulling us towards the unforgiving rock of the cliffs. I looked up and saw the outcropping we had jumped from, and then the taller cliff where we had picnicked. They both seemed impossibly high up from my standpoint, treading water in the ocean.

"Yeah," I answered.

He nodded and told me to put my arms around my back. I did so, and he swam us both to shore, letting the waves wash us up on the sandy beach.

"How was that?" Jake asked, standing and shaking the water and sand off of him.

"Scary… But fun," I admitted. "Exhilarating, like you said."

He smiled. "Told you so. Jeez, I didn't think you were going to come up for a minute there, in the water. You scared me."

I shrugged and touched my necklace. "Yeah, sometimes when I jump off of cliffs, I get a little disoriented."

Jacob laughed.


	23. ONESHOT: Reunion

So this oneshot doesn't actually involve Jacob that much..

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**Bella's Point of View**

"I want to go back," I whispered.

Edward sat up, staring at me in the dark. I could see the shadows of his perfect features, the concern, apprehension and sadness that distorted them.

I stayed on my back, staring at the ceiling. Often, at night, Edward and I would lay in bed, drifting in the place between consciousness and sleep. We couldn't sleep, of course, but there was a certain peace of mind in just laying there. It was the only time I could shut my eyes and allow myself to see perfectly all the things I had left behind. My father, sitting on the couch, watching basketball. My mother's childish delight, the happiness that filled her face when she smiled. My truck. My house. My high school friends. And my Jacob, the reassembled mess that was Jacob, no longer mine. His dark, loving eyes, his warm hand wrapped around mine. I thought of his children, dear to me though I had never met them.

"Back?" Edward asked, though he knew perfectly well what I was talking about.

"To Forks," I said, pulling myself up and wrapping my arms around my legs. "I… I just want to see. To look."

He pulled me into his lap. "Bella… We can't," he said softly. "Well, we _could, _but you'd just be disappointed. It's been years, honey. Things won't be the same as you remember them."

"I know," I said. "That's why I want to go back. I want to see how things have changed."

"Wouldn't it be better to keep your memories in tact?" he tried to reason.

I shook my head. "They'll still be in tact. I just want to see. Not everyone gets to see the passing of time around them, right? I mean, after a while, it won't mean anything to me, because I won't know any humans. But right now, it still does. So, I think it'd be interesting, to look at how things have changed, even though I haven't." I wondered if I was making any sense. "You know? Through the same eyes, even though things are different."

Edward sighed. "I really don't think this is a good idea."

I twisted around to look up at him. "It probably isn't. But I can't _not _go back." I pouted. "Please?"

He kissed my forehead. "I hope you've given this a lot of thought," he whispered against my neck.

Though I had been with Edward for fifteen years, and I was now a vampire, too, this still gave me shivers. I ran my fingers through his hair.

"I have," I assured him. "I have."

Fifteen years didn't exactly go by in the blink of an eye, but time passed strangely after I was changed. Days, nights and weeks blended into each other, a month sometimes seeming like hardly a few days. Other times, a week could go on and on, seeming like an eternity. It was strange, especially at first.

Edward and I spent our first years living with his family before the two of us moved to the Atlantic Coast, in Maine. It was quiet there, especially during the winter. He wanted to get me acquainted to my new existence, refusing to have any interaction with humans. Though this was silly, because even as a vampire, I had an aversion to human blood. During this time, Edward's family – my family – came to visit us, living either with or nearby us for a few weeks at a time.

In my eleventh year, we decided to move in with them in Alaska, and lived there for a year. They then decided to move to England, to live among humans as they had in Forks, and Edward and I followed them. He didn't think I was ready for that just yet, though, so we traveled the world. It was amazing. Edward proved to be a terrific tour guide, through all of Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. We took our time in countries we liked, exploring every part of it.

As more time passed, I became acutely aware that although I was not aging, the humans I loved were. They would die, someday, and I would never see them again. By now, it might be too late to see my parents. Who knew?

We arrived in Forks just days after I told Edward I wanted to go. We brought nothing with us, as we had nowhere to stay. Edward was determined we not stay in Forks for any length of time.

As soon as I stepped off the plane into the chilly evening of autumn in Forks, I knew I was home. The thick, moist air was familiar to me, as were the puddles on the ground and the raindrops that dripped from the trees. It brought back so many memories.

"You know what's kind of ironic?" I said, slipping my hand into Edward's as we stood outside the small airport.

"What?" Edward asked.

"When I lived here, I basically hated it and stayed because you were here. Now I'm with you, and I'm coming back for everything else..." I shrugged. "It just seems weird."

Edward sighed, and I could see that he was remembering those whirl-wind months when I was human. "Maybe for you," he said, and then smiled down at me, my favorite crooked grin. "Do you think you could indulge me?" he asked. "Since we're taking a walk down Memory Lane anyway…"

I frowned. "What?"

"Let me run." I looked at him, confused for a moment. "Please? For old time's sake?"

"Edward, I am _not _–,"

"Please, Bella?" Edward said, touching my face. "Indulge me. Just this once."

I shook my head, but said, "Fine."  
He grinned and squeezed my hand. Together, we walked away from the airport, across the street into the woods. When we were out of view, I sighed and climbed onto Edward's back.

"Hold on," he said, and started running.

It was different now, though. It didn't seem quite so fast, since I had traveled like this on my own before. The speed didn't make me dizzy or afraid. I clung to Edward, nonetheless.

He stopped abruptly, and I slid off his back.

"Do you recognize where we are?" he asked

I looked around the woods. They didn't seem any different then the woods outside the airport.

"No," I said.

Edward took me by the shoulders and turned me around, pointing over my shoulder. "Look that way."

I looked, and saw a house. _My _house. I took a step forward. It was dark now, and there were lights on inside. I could hear strains of music playing softly, and the noise of a television over it.

"Oh, Edward," I whispered softly. "Do you think…?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, love," Edward whispered, his voice sad. He wrapped his arms around my waist, his chin on the top of my head.

"Can we go closer?" I asked. "It's dark…"

He let go of me and took my hand, walking noiselessly with around the edge of the woods, to the side of the house. Here, we had a view of the living room and my old bedroom.

Sitting on the couch in the living room was a woman of about thirty with a toddler in her lap. I didn't recognize either one. As I watched, a red-headed teenager passed in front of the window.

"A family," I whispered. "No Charlie."

Edward studied my face. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "He'd be in his seventies. He couldn't live alone, probably. It's okay."

"Bella…" Edward said, studying my face.

"I know," I said, looking at the house. "You don't need to say it." He bit his lip. "Can we go to the door? Pretend to be… I don't know, with some religious group or something?"

Edward shook his head. "No, dear," he said. "We don't know who those people are. It could be someone from your high school, for all we know. They might recognize us."

"They would recognize _you,_" I corrected. "I look too different." I looked at him, trying to see if there was any hope of me winning this. "Please? What if it is someone from my high school? I want to see them."

He sighed. "Fine. Be quick, though."

I looked at him in disbelief. "Wait, really?"

"Sure," he said. "Go. Be smart about it."

I took a deep breath. "Yeah. Smart. Okay." I walked quickly out of the woods and onto the sidewalk, moving too quickly for humans to see. Without really thinking about it, I went up to the door – so familiar, even after fifteen years – and knocked. It felt strange to have to knock.

There was some noise inside, and then the door was opened by the woman I had seen, the toddler clinging to her leg.

"Hello," she said, smiling while also looking slightly confused.

"Hi," I said. "My name is Jane Black. I'm looking for my great-uncle, Charlie Swan – does he live here?"

She gave me a sad, sympathetic smile. "No, I'm sorry, Jane," she said. "I'm afraid Charlie died a few years ago."

I had been readying myself for this, but the news hit me like a ton of bricks. My knees felt weak, my chest ached. _Oh, Charlie. Dad._

"Oh," I said, trying to retain my composure. "Would you mind… if I asked how he died?"

"They found him in his bed," she said. "He slipped away during the night."

I nodded, studying her. She had light, honey blonde hair and big, glassy blue eyes.

_Lauren Mallory?_

"Lauren Crowley, now," she said with a slightly confused smile. Had I spoken out loud? "I'm sorry, have we met? You do look a bit familiar…"

"No," I said quickly. "I don't think so. I have to go, my dad is waiting. Thank you."

I turned and tried to walk away at a normal pace. I walked down the sidewalk, out of view, and then ran into the woods to find Edward.

He was standing there, watching me with a concerned expression. "Bella?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…" I started. "That was Lauren Mallory. She… She married Tyler Crowley."

Edward nodded, still watching me carefully. I looked away, trying to ignore the painful lump in my throat. "Charlie…" I whispered. "He died. Years ago."

"Oh, Bella," Edward said softly, pulling me into his chest. In the safety of his arms, I let myself cry, though there were no tears.

When I finally got control of myself, Edward whispered, "Let's go back, Bella. There's nothing for you here."

"No," I said stubbornly. "Jacob. I want to see Jacob."

I felt his arms stiffen around me. "I don't think… that's a good idea, love. Not a good idea at all."

"I don't need to talk to him," I said. "I just want to see him. And his children."

Edward sighed, and I could feel it resonate through his chest. "Alright, Bella. Alright."

I kept my arms locked around his waist. "Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"Why are you doing this with me?"

He pulled back a little to look at me. "Doing what?"

"_Indulging _me."

He grimaced. "I feel it's the least I can do. I'm the one who took this life from you… If you want to revisit it, who am I to deny you?"

I didn't say anything.

"We shouldn't linger," Edward said. "If we're going to go, we should do it now.

I nodded. "Alright. Let's go, then." I jumped onto his back; I didn't feel like running now.

Edward took off through the woods. In a few short minutes, the dark of the trees disappeared and Edward was taking us down the road that led to La Push. He circled the reservation, stopping once we reached First Beach.

I breathed in the familiar, salty scent of the ocean… but there was something different. There were traces of a pungent, dirty scent I didn't recognize. I wrinkled my nose. "What is that?" I asked Edward.

He smiled in a sad, amused way, the way someone would smile if they were reminded of a joke between them and a person who had died. "Werewolf," Edward said. "That's the smell of werewolf. Pleasant, isn't it?"

Werewolf. Strange.

"Jacob doesn't live with Billy anymore," I reminded Edward. "He lives with his family."

Edward nodded. "It shouldn't be too hard to find him. He smells rather strongly, and I'm… very familiarized with his scent." His said this last part in a shamefaced way.

"Oh?"

"When I came back, and you were spending time with Jacob… Well, my attention to his scent on you would make it a hard one to forget."

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry, Edward." I reached out to him, and he tucked me under his arm.

"Don't be, my love," he said softly. "Let's not discuss it any further."

I nodded. That time was not a happy one for either of us, and we didn't make a habit of talking about it.

"Let's go find Jacob," I said, climbing onto Edward's back again. I lay my head in the curve between his neck and shoulders, closing my eyes as he ran. I could just barely feel the flex of his muscles.

"We're here," Edward whispered.

"That quickly?" I looked up and saw the same house from the videos Anna sent me. "Oh."

"He can smell us, Bella," Edward reminded me. "We can't go too close, and we can't stay long. We wouldn't want to set anything in motion."  
"Little Ian," I whispered. "Bell."

Edward nodded. "So there's the house."  
I slid off his back and quietly paced the house, ignoring the strong, unpleasant smell. All the lights were off.

"Edward," I called. He was at my side then. "Let's go."

Edward slipped his hand into mine. "You're sure?"

I nodded. "There's nothing here --,"

"Leave," a gruff voice called suddenly, surprising me. The voice came from the house, relatively far away.

"Jacob?" Edward clamped a hand over my mouth.

I heard Jacob now, stomping through the tall grasses that surrounded his house. "Look, bloodsucker," he hissed, "I don't know where you are, but you need to leave. Right now."

The light on the back deck went on, illuminating Jacob standing there, facing us.

Jacob. My Jacob. Fifteen years had aged him. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He wore a thin white T-shirt and sweatpants; his hair, longer than I remembered, was messy, like he had just gotten out of bed. I saw a large knife in one hand, a flashlight in the other.

A light went on in the house behind him; he whirled around, putting the knife behind his back. He whipped open the sliding glass door.

"Ian!" he said. "Go to bed! _Now!_"

"But Dad, what --?"

I saw a boy of about twelve standing in the room behind Jacob. He was holding the hand of a little boy, just a toddler.

"I said _go to bed!_"

I recognized the panic and fear and Jacob's voice, disguised as anger.

"Jacob," I called, taking a few steps forward. "It's me."  
"_Bella!_" Edward hissed, immediately at my side.

"Edward and I. We're --,"

Suddenly, the light of the flashlight was right in my face. I blinked, turning my head. I heard the hiss of Jacob exhaling sharply.

He was down the stairs, suddenly, and stalked towards us.

"Leave," he spat, shining the flashlight at us.

"We were just --," Edward started.

"Now," Jacob said, eyes narrowing.

"Jacob, please --,"

He turned to look at me, eyes blazing. "I have a _family, _for God's sake. I have three children up there, and a pregnant wife. I won't have you leading your kind here and ruining everything. I won't have that for my kids, Bella!"

"Oh, Jacob," I breathed. "Four kids?"  
"Four," he said, "yes. It... It doesn't concern you, though, Bella. You're one of them now."

"But Jake, you're not a wolf anymore, are you?"  
He narrowed his eyes. "I gave that up a long time ago. But you know, you still smell horrible." He shook his head. "But it's true, I don't transform anymore; which is why you need to go. I can't protect my family against you."

"We wouldn't hurt --,"

"Bella," he said. "Please. I can't have you leading your kind here. _Please, _Bella -- go."

"Jacob?" a feminine voice called. I looked up at the back deck; I could see Anna leaning out the door, could see her largely pregnant shape clearly in the dark.

"I'll be right there, hon," he called. "Go back to bed."

"Boy or girl?" I asked, barely whispering.

He sighed. "Girl. Two boys, two girls. Okay?"  
"Jake, that's --,"

"Bella," Jacob said, completely ignoring Edward. "Please. I'm begging you; if you've ever cared for me at all – if you care about my kids at all – please, just... just leave."

**Jacob's Point of View**

And they were gone.

Bella was one of them. Of course. I knew it would happen, but seeing it -- seeing her -- was something different entirely. She had been gone for so long... It was easier to pretend she was dead and move on. This made that next to impossible. I wasn't sure what to think of it. Did I miss her? No; I had grieved her loss and moved on a long time ago. Was I angry? Not because of what she was; that anger, too, had been left behind. So.. what?

It felt like seeing a ghost. Like a childhood friend that had died was on my doorstep, unaged and unearthly.

"What was that?" Anna asked when I came inside. She was standing by the door to the deck.

"That was... strange." I ran my fingertips over her belly and immediately, all of the nostalgia and sadness Bella had brought back vanished. "Did the kids go to bed?"

She nodded, still looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

I cupped her face in my hands, leaning over her belly to kiss her. "Yeah," I said. "Perfect."

* * *

Vicious. I dunno. Tell me what you think, and what kind of oneshots you'd like? Tell me what you waaaaaant.


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